Illustration: AI
Google is using artificial intelligence to answer queries, so users do not have to open the websites that published the source material (er10.kz). For Kazakhstan’s media outlets that attract readers through search, this poses a potential risk of losing visits and ad impressions.
What happened
Google is turning its search engine into an AI assistant. Users can get a ready-made answer drawn from website content without clicking through to those sites. The company plans to keep developing this form of search.
Meanwhile, its search business continues to grow. Google Search revenue reached $63.35 billion in the third quarter of 2026, up 12% from a year earlier. Total revenue at Alphabet, Google’s parent company, rose 25% to $127.6 billion.
What this means for Kazakhstan
For a Kazakhstani publication that earns money from advertising, a reader clicking through from search to its website matters. If someone reads a summary directly in Google and closes the page, the publication loses that visit. It may also lose the chance to show an ad or offer a subscription.
This risk affects newsrooms whose content appears in AI answers. Users get the information but may never reach its author. This is a possible consequence for Kazakhstan’s publishers, rather than an estimate of losses already incurred.
That is why links in AI search matter in practice: they allow readers to open the original source. But the presence of a link does not mean someone will click it.
What website owners should watch
If you get readers from Google, track visits from search and the revenue those visits generate. This will help you assess the impact on your website. Google will continue to develop AI search, so publishers should monitor how many readers open original sources after receiving a ready-made answer.
