That shift is now the focus of a major U.S. lawsuit and a formal complaint in Europe. Pew’s latest research shows clicks fall when an AI Overview appears, pushing brands toward pricier paid channels and raising customer acquisition cost (CAC). Google says Overviews broaden discovery and spread traffic to more sites. That move weakens open, transparent search and makes results feel more like a pay-to-play auction. The stakes go beyond traffic: control of attention, time, and data—forcing companies to pay more to win them back,” Lalka said.