Media companies expect web traffic to their sites from online searches to plummet over the next three years, as AI summaries and chatbots change the way consumers use the internet.

An overwhelming majority are also planning to encourage their journalists to behave more like YouTube and TikTok content creators this year, as short-form video and audio content continues to boom.

The findings are drawn from a new report from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, which included the views of 280 media leaders from 51 countries. It found media executives around the world fear search engine referrals will fall by 43% over three years.

Search traffic to news sites has already plunged by a third in a single year globally, with the rise of AI overviews and chatbots, as well as changes to the search algorithms that have been the lifeblood of some media companies since the rise of the internet.

Google search is down 33% globally, according to new data for more than 2,500 news sites sourced by Chartbeat. The figure is even higher for the US.

Lifestyle, celebrity and travel content is being much more heavily affected than current affairs and news outlets so far. Publications carrying out live reporting and current affairs are more protected from AI summaries.

Google’s AI Overviews already appear at the top of about 10% of search results in the US, according to the report, and are rapidly rolling out elsewhere. Referrals to media sites from ChatGPT are growing, but the report still described these referrals as “little more than a rounding error”.

Nic Newman, senior research associate at the institute, said the “traffic era” for online publishers, which had sustained them since the advent of the internet, was coming to an end.

“It is not clear what comes next,” he said. “Publishers fear that AI chatbots are creating a new convenient way of accessing information that could leave news brands – and journalists – out in the cold.

“But tech platforms do not hold all the cards. Reliable news, expert analysis and points of view remain important both to individuals and to society, particularly in uncertain times. Great storytelling – and a human touch – is going to be hard for AI to replicate.”

There has already been a swing away from simply trying to score big hits through web traffic – with fewer people clicking on a link to a story. Instead, more companies have moved towards a subscription model that gives them a direct relationship with their audience.

The Reuters Institute report also revealed a scramble among media companies to invest in digital platforms like YouTube and TikTok as short-form video use continues to grow. Many also want to encourage their journalists to embrace the content creator culture that the platforms have popularised.

Three-quarters of media managers surveyed said they will be trying to get their staff to behave more like creators in 2026. Half are planning to partner with creators to help distribute their content.

Downing Street is also trying to tap into social media as Keir Starmer attempts to find ways of reaching Gen Z and bypass the traditional media.

The campaigner Anna Whitehouse, who goes by Mother Pukka, and the personal finance influencers Cameron Smith and Abi Foster have all been given access to senior ministers in recent months.