In the modern digital landscape, where technology is evolving at an incredible pace, the question of how artificial intelligence (AI) affects traditional traffic generation methods is becoming increasingly relevant. This is especially true for a metric like profitable CPM. Information categories are losing clicks, Google is losing queries, but retaining its audience. AI does not replace search, but complements it. How much cache will this bring? Let’s calculate.
95% of ChatGPT users are still on Google: What does this mean?
According to Similarweb, 95% of ChatGPT users continue to use Google. This figure remained at 95% from September 2025 to May 2026, even though traffic to generative AI platforms grew by 70% year-over-year. Similarweb interprets this as AI complementing search, not replacing it.
However, a study by Bocconi University showed a decrease in traditional search queries by 9.4% among households that gained access to ChatGPT Search. The discrepancy in data is explained by Similarweb counting people (overlap), while Bocconi counts queries per household. The same user might use Google for maps or login, and redirect specific queries to ChatGPT.
How does AI affect search behavior?
- Reduced queries: Households with access to ChatGPT Search reduced the number of traditional search queries by an average of 3.14 per week, which is 9.4% less than the pre-expansion level (33.51 queries). The reduction reached 17.0% after 20 weeks.
- Drop in referrals: The largest drop in referrals was observed in information categories: academic sites (-32.8%), reference sites (-26.5%), developer sites (-15.1%), news sites (-13.4%).
- Increased ChatGPT reach: Google’s household reach remained stable (around 49%), while ChatGPT grew from 4.6% to 7.9%.
“When people use our AI-powered features in Search, they use Search more often,” — Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google.
However, Google does not provide baseline data or user-level data to independently verify these claims. We are seeing an increase in the use of AI features in Google, which may replace the traditional results page.
Experiment with AI Mode: What happens to clicks?
A study by Stephanie T. Wang and her team (August 2024) involving 1100 Chrome users showed that when AI Mode was forced (94.7% of queries via AI), the number of clicks to external sites decreased by 18.8 percentage points.
- Search sessions decreased by approximately 0.92 per day.
- The average session duration increased by 0.43 minutes.
- Clicks to news sites fell by 12.5 points, Reddit by 21.2 points, Wikipedia by 9.9 points.
At the same time, 15.3% of AI Mode users experienced difficulties accessing specific websites. It is important to note that in March 2024, AI Mode did not display ads. Since May 20, Google has been testing new ad formats created with Gemini in AI Mode, which may change satisfaction and click metrics.
What do current data not account for?
None of the current datasets track individual users across different platforms (Google Search, AI Mode, ChatGPT, Gemini) at a task level over the long term.
- Similarweb focuses on audience data, not detailed session information.
- Bocconi and Gholami studies analyze clickstream data from desktop computers in the US.
- Wang’s experiment covers about a thousand Chrome users over seven days.
Google does not disclose user-level data to support its claims. It is unclear what types of queries transition to AI and which remain in traditional search. Bocconi’s data on the division into informational and transactional categories is only descriptive.
Conclusion: CPM is profitable, but where does the cash go?
We see that Google retains users but loses some queries and clicks. Optimization for voice search and AI functionality are becoming critically important. If you are paying for a profitable CPM in traditional search, but users are switching to AI, your unit economics may suffer.
Cheap hypothesis testing using AI tools for content creation (generating 100 AI videos, video uniqueization) can be more effective than traditional methods. Is AI worth investing in? Facts show that it changes user behavior. The question is how to convert this into cash.
For an arbitrageur, this means: a CPM cheaper than 50 rubles for a banner may be useless if clicks go to AI. Strategies need to be adapted. Analyze your metrics, compare price vs result, to understand what CPM to consider profitable for your niche.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is cheaper: banner or target?
A: This depends on your target audience and campaign goals. Data shows that AI changes user behavior, reducing the clickability of traditional ads. It may be worth considering a budget alternative to seeding through AI content.
Q: Is it worth investing in AI for content?
A: Yes, data indicates a growing use of AI for information retrieval. The cost per finished clip created by AI, or the cost of making a video unique, can be significantly lower than manual production, while still providing effective reach.
Q: What CPM should be considered profitable?
A: A profitable CPM is determined not only by the cost per thousand impressions but also by conversion. If users use AI to get answers without visiting websites, then even a very low CPM will not yield the desired result. It is important to evaluate ROI.
Q: How does AI affect SEO?
A: AI can reduce the number of direct clicks to your site, especially for informational queries. Optimizing content for AI Overviews and creating FAQ sections for voice search becomes critically important.
Call to action: Analyze your data, test new hypotheses, and adapt strategies to changing user behavior. AI is not the future; it is already the present. How much cash are you willing to lose by ignoring this?