Reddit and Publishers Consider Cutting Ties with Google

Reddit and several news organizations are reportedly evaluating the possibility of restricting Google’s access to their websites. This comes as Google’s AI-driven search summaries reportedly divert traffic away from these sites.

Reddit had previously entered a $60 million annual agreement allowing Google to utilize its content for AI model training. However, frustration with Google’s recent practices has led Reddit to rethink whether this partnership is beneficial. A source familiar with the situation shared insights with The Wall Street Journal.

Other news outlets, including USA Today, Politico, Reuters, and The Economist, are also reassessing their connections with Google due to concerns over AI-generated summaries. These summaries appear at the top of search results, overshadowing links to external sites, which critics argue poses a significant risk to online publishers.

“It’s time to stand up and say enough is enough,” remarked USA Today CEO Mike Reed.

Data from Semrush indicates that Google search traffic to USA Today from U.S. users nearly halved in the year leading up to June 2026. For Politico, traffic dropped by 23%, while Business Insider saw a staggering decline of over 85%.

USA Today, having previously accused Google of monopolistic behavior in digital advertising, is contemplating cutting off Google’s access to its articles for AI training, which would, in turn, mean that these articles wouldn’t appear in search results.

Politico, part of Axel Springer, has discussed blocking Google and other bots from accessing articles not behind a paywall, while Reuters is also weighing potential restrictions.

“We are certainly looking at the economic tradeoffs between search and AI summarization,” said Paul Bascobert, President of Reuters.

In response to the criticism, a Google spokesperson argued that publishers have the option to opt out of allowing their sites to train Gemini AI models while still appearing in search results. They stated, “Google’s AI search capabilities deliver billions of clicks to the web each week, driving massive amounts of traffic to websites while adapting to how users prefer to find information.”

The spokesperson added, “Our AI capabilities highlight links to the web, helping creators and publishers grow their audiences, and giving website owners clear control over their content.”

Meanwhile, Google appears to be intensifying its efforts regarding news publishers.

In June, reports emerged that Google was proposing a pilot program to news organizations, offering to feature their sites with AI summaries—provided they grant full access to their content for AI training.