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University of Washington study claims AI Overviews cut Wikipedia referrals by 5%, but Google disputes the findings

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TLDR

A University of Washington study estimates AI Overviews reduced Wikipedia referrals by 5%, though Google contests the finding.

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Optimixed's original report on this story.

A University of Washington paper estimates that AI Overviews reduced search referrals to Wikipedia by approximately 5%, a claim Google disputes. The disagreement highlights ongoing uncertainty around how generative search summaries affect traffic to traditional web sources, a key concern for content publishers and SEO professionals tracking AIO impact.

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