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Google CEO Pichai now calls links a "part" of search, redefining the web's role in its own product
Key Points
Google is increasingly transforming its search engine from a traditional link directory into an AI-powered answer engine, fundamentally changing how users interact with web content.
CEO Sundar Pichai stated that external links and sources will remain "part of search" going forward, a notable shift in language, given that the open web has historically been the very foundation of Google's business.
This transformation effectively turns Google from a neutral information intermediary into a publisher with editorial influence.
Google is shifting its narrative about its relationship with the open web, and it's not even subtle anymore.
Google used to at least try giving the impression that the open web was a partner for its AI offerings and would get a fair shake. In a recent podcast after I/O, CEO Sundar Pichai sounded far more guarded.
Asked whether Google would still show links going forward, Pichai said, "Sources and links will always be there as part of it." Worth pausing on that. Sources and links as a part of search. Not its foundation.
If sources and links are just a feature, what exactly is the product? Pichai can't mean searching within AI models trained on stale data. And even then, sources and links aren't "part" of that training. They very much are the training.
That framing signals where Google is heading: quietly sidelining the open web's role in its own product. Google's AI answers will keep pulling from web content, but that content is getting pushed further into the background as the answer engine takes over. Pichai also pointed to long-term product metrics showing clearly positive reactions to AI search, saying users keep coming back.
Recent technical changes back this up. Take the "preferred sources" feature, which lets users pick their own sources. Sounds like more control. In reality, it's a fig leaf, since almost nobody will bother using it. But it gives Google a handy talking point: users have a choice. Outside preferred sources, Google can hand out web visibility in AI search however it sees fit. Another new feature shows websites right inside the chat, so users never have to leave the Google ecosystem.