{"id":87679,"date":"2025-06-13T06:01:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-13T11:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.success.com\/?p=87679"},"modified":"2025-06-11T17:02:41","modified_gmt":"2025-06-11T22:02:41","slug":"ai-chatbots-news-accuracy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.success.com\/ai-chatbots-news-accuracy\/","title":{"rendered":"AI Chatbots Are Tanking Traffic to News Sites, But They Don\u2019t Tell the Whole Truth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Artificial intelligence chatbots are transforming how people access information online, offering quick, direct and click-free answers without the need to browse multiple websites. While traditional search engines like Google still dominate daily use, online news outlets are beginning to feel the early impact, according to a new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/tech\/ai\/google-ai-news-publishers-7e687141\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Wall Street Journal<\/em> report<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-increasing-use-of-ai-chatbots-for-news-sparks-uncertainty-for-traditional-news-outlets\">Increasing use of AI chatbots for news sparks uncertainty for traditional news outlets<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>With increasing numbers of readers turning to AI tools such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.success.com\/how-to-use-chatgpt\/\">ChatGPT<\/a>, Copilot and Gemini for faster answers, the steady stream of traffic that once supported legacy news websites is beginning to waver.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Online news providers have been working to adapt to a changing information ecosystem for some time, not only in response to AI, but to a wider trend of declining interest. <a href=\"https:\/\/reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk\/sites\/default\/files\/2023-06\/Digital_News_Report_2023.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">A 2023 report<\/a> by Oxford University\u2019s Reuters Institute found that just 48% of people globally were very or extremely interested in news, down from 63% in 2017. More than a third said they intentionally avoid consuming it. Even regular internet users are now turning away from traditional online news content more than in previous years.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.success.com\/subscriptions\/\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.success.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/SUCCESS_Magazine_CTA_r1@2x.png\" alt=\"SUCCESS Magazine Subscription offer\"><\/a>\n\n\n\n<p>The emergence of tools such as Google\u2019s AI Overviews and ChatGPT\u2019s real-time browsing capabilities has enabled users to engage with news and current affairs in new ways. Some platforms, like <a href=\"https:\/\/x.ai\/news\/grok-3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">X\u2019s Grok<\/a>, even market themselves as reputable alternatives for real-time news updates. According to Grok, its latest Deep Search update is \u201cbuilt to relentlessly seek the truth\u201d and supposedly \u201cdistill clarity from complexity.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While not without flaws, these platforms offer quick, customized answers and help navigate complex information landscapes. Still, serious doubts remain about their reliability and whether these tools can deliver information with the trust and accountability expected of credible news sources.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-business-insider-washington-post-and-others-announce-layoffs-this-year\"><em>Business Insider<\/em>, <em>Washington Post<\/em> and others announce layoffs this year<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Several news outlets are already feeling the impact of this shift in online traffic. In the past six months alone, <em>Business Insider<\/em> has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.success.com\/business-insider-layoffs\/\">laid off 21% of its staff<\/a>, <em>The Washington Post<\/em> cut <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/media-telecom\/washington-post-lay-off-4-staff-cut-costs-2025-01-07\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">4%<\/a> of positions and U.K.-based Reach PLC (owner of the <em>Mirror US<\/em> and <em>Daily Express<\/em>) reported a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reachplc.com\/content\/dam\/reach\/corporate\/documents\/results-and-reports\/2024\/fy2024-results-statement.pdf.downloadasset.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">17% year-on-year decline<\/a> in digital traffic. Similar reductions have hit other major outlets, including the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfgate.com\/bayarea\/article\/la-times-layoffs-latest-20307200.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>LA Times<\/em><\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/finance.yahoo.com\/news\/vox-media-hit-3rd-round-152113703.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Vox Media<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wgaeast.org\/huffpost-union-statement-on-layoffs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">HuffPost<\/a>. The <em>Wall Street Journal<\/em> reports that Nicholas Thompson, CEO of <em>The Atlantic<\/em>, foresees a major collapse of the traditional online news model. Earlier this year, he reportedly told staff that Google-driven traffic for the political magazine could drop close to zero, urging a complete strategic rethink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Though many users appreciate the convenience of AI chatbots for daily news briefings or tracking developing stories, studies consistently suggest they fall short in delivering accurate and balanced reporting. A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/aboutthebbc\/documents\/bbc-research-into-ai-assistants.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">BBC review<\/a> published in February found that more than half of the responses generated by ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini and Perplexity exhibited \u201csignificant issues,\u201d with 19% containing factual errors. The study concluded that these tools \u201ccannot currently be relied upon\u201d and urged regulators and AI developers to work with trusted news organizations to improve the reliability of AI-generated content and create an \u201ceffective regulatory regime.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-ai-chatbots-frequently-deliver-inaccurate-information-and-lack-journalistic-training\">AI chatbots frequently deliver inaccurate information and lack journalistic training<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>According to the BBC, Google\u2019s Gemini was the most concerning for accuracy, with 46% of its responses marked as significantly flawed. Perplexity, however, had the highest proportion of problematic answers overall, exceeding 80%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Experts have raised concerns that, despite their frequent inaccuracies and disinformative tendencies, AI chatbots gain a surprising level of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S0736585325000024#:~:text=Studies%20suggest%20that%20anthropomorphic%20agents,to%20their%20intelligence%20and%20ubiquity.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">user trust<\/a>, mostly due to how they are trained and configured to sound human. This confidence, they warn, may exacerbate the already growing problem of disinformation online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The consequences are particularly troubling in sensitive areas such as healthcare, where misinformation can have serious real-world impacts. According to the authors of a 2023 <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC10644115\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">FPH study<\/a> examining AI misinformation in public health, \u201cThe current inability of chatbots to distinguish varying levels of evidence-based knowledge presents a pressing challenge for global public health promotion and disease prevention.\u201d News outlets, in contrast, are guided by strict industry codes and receive training and advice from organizations like the FTC to report health-related news safely and responsibly, especially in times of crisis.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-trouble-with-trusting-ai-chatbots-for-news\">The trouble with trusting AI chatbots for news<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A key concern is that current AI chatbots are not governed by these <a href=\"https:\/\/www.success.com\/what-is-the-future-of-editorial-jobs\/\">editorial standards<\/a> and often lack mechanisms to prioritize credible sources. When tackling nuanced or complex topics, these systems may rely on unreliable inputs\u2014such as Reddit threads, personal blogs or outdated data\u2014simply to produce an answer. This can create a false sense of authority, misleading users who assume the information is accurate.&nbsp;<br>AI chatbots, including those by Google and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.success.com\/openai-chatgpt-fewer-limits\/\">OpenAI<\/a>, are trained using vast datasets from the internet and designed to produce fluent, contextually appropriate language that sounds truthful. However, they are not inherently trained to distinguish fact from fiction. Despite their appeal, all signs say they are not yet dependable sources for verified news\u2014useful, perhaps, but not infallible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><em>Photo by Marco Lazzarini\/Shutterstock<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>AI chatbots offer speed, but at the cost of accuracy and accountability. See how they&#8217;re disrupting news traffic and why truth still matters.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32523,"featured_media":87681,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"ub_ctt_via":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[14581],"class_list":["post-87679","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-news"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www.success.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ai-chatbots-news-accuracy.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Pablo Urdiales Antelo","author_link":"https:\/\/www.success.com\/author\/pablo-urdiales-antelo\/"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.1 (Yoast SEO v25.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>AI Chatbots Cut News Site Traffic, But Can They Be Trusted? | SUCCESS<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"AI chatbots offer speed, but at the cost of accuracy and accountability. See how they&#039;re disrupting news traffic and why truth still matters.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"AI Chatbots Are Tanking Traffic to News Sites, But They Don\u2019t Tell the Whole Truth\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"AI chatbots offer speed, but at the cost of accuracy and accountability. 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Drawing from his experience in breaking news and pop culture commentary, he offers a comprehensive and international perspective on current affairs, helping audiences decode the complexities of our modern world.<\/span>"],"rich_editing":["true"],"syntax_highlighting":["true"],"comment_shortcuts":["false"],"admin_color":["fresh"],"use_ssl":["0"],"show_admin_bar_front":["true"],"locale":[""],"wp_capabilities":["a:1:{s:6:\"author\";b:1;}"],"wp_user_level":["0"],"_yoast_wpseo_profile_updated":["1726689370"],"dismissed_wp_pointers":[""],"wpseo_metadesc":[""],"wpseo_title":[""],"wpseo_content_analysis_disable":[""],"wpseo_keyword_analysis_disable":[""],"wpseo_user_schema":["a:0:{}"],"molongui_author_phone":[""],"molongui_author_job":[""],"molongui_author_company":[""],"molongui_author_company_link":[""],"molongui_author_custom_link":[""],"molongui_author_box_display":["default"],"molongui_author_image_id":["79382"],"molongui_author_image_url":["https:\/\/www.success.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pablo-Urdiales-Antelo.png"],"molongui_author_image_edit":["https:\/\/www.success.com\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=79382&action=edit&image-editor"],"advanced-ads-role":[""],"molongui_author_post_count":["1"]}}]},"custom_post_content":"<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Artificial intelligence chatbots are transforming how people access information online, offering quick, direct and click-free answers without the need to browse multiple websites. While traditional search engines like Google still dominate daily use, online news outlets are beginning to feel the early impact, according to a new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/tech\/ai\/google-ai-news-publishers-7e687141\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Wall Street Journal<\/em> report<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:heading -->\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-increasing-use-of-ai-chatbots-for-news-sparks-uncertainty-for-traditional-news-outlets\">Increasing use of AI chatbots for news sparks uncertainty for traditional news outlets<\/h2>\n<!-- \/wp:heading -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>With increasing numbers of readers turning to AI tools such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.success.com\/how-to-use-chatgpt\/\">ChatGPT<\/a>, Copilot and Gemini for faster answers, the steady stream of traffic that once supported legacy news websites is beginning to waver.\u00a0<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Online news providers have been working to adapt to a changing information ecosystem for some time, not only in response to AI, but to a wider trend of declining interest. <a href=\"https:\/\/reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk\/sites\/default\/files\/2023-06\/Digital_News_Report_2023.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">A 2023 report<\/a> by Oxford University\u2019s Reuters Institute found that just 48% of people globally were very or extremely interested in news, down from 63% in 2017. More than a third said they intentionally avoid consuming it. Even regular internet users are now turning away from traditional online news content more than in previous years.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:html -->\n\n<!-- \/wp:html -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>The emergence of tools such as Google\u2019s AI Overviews and ChatGPT\u2019s real-time browsing capabilities has enabled users to engage with news and current affairs in new ways. Some platforms, like <a href=\"https:\/\/x.ai\/news\/grok-3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">X\u2019s Grok<\/a>, even market themselves as reputable alternatives for real-time news updates. According to Grok, its latest Deep Search update is \u201cbuilt to relentlessly seek the truth\u201d and supposedly \u201cdistill clarity from complexity.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>While not without flaws, these platforms offer quick, customized answers and help navigate complex information landscapes. Still, serious doubts remain about their reliability and whether these tools can deliver information with the trust and accountability expected of credible news sources.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:heading -->\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-business-insider-washington-post-and-others-announce-layoffs-this-year\"><em>Business Insider<\/em>, <em>Washington Post<\/em> and others announce layoffs this year<\/h2>\n<!-- \/wp:heading -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Several news outlets are already feeling the impact of this shift in online traffic. In the past six months alone, <em>Business Insider<\/em> has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.success.com\/business-insider-layoffs\/\">laid off 21% of its staff<\/a>, <em>The Washington Post<\/em> cut <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/media-telecom\/washington-post-lay-off-4-staff-cut-costs-2025-01-07\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">4%<\/a> of positions and U.K.-based Reach PLC (owner of the <em>Mirror US<\/em> and <em>Daily Express<\/em>) reported a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reachplc.com\/content\/dam\/reach\/corporate\/documents\/results-and-reports\/2024\/fy2024-results-statement.pdf.downloadasset.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">17% year-on-year decline<\/a> in digital traffic. Similar reductions have hit other major outlets, including the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfgate.com\/bayarea\/article\/la-times-layoffs-latest-20307200.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>LA Times<\/em><\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/finance.yahoo.com\/news\/vox-media-hit-3rd-round-152113703.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Vox Media<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wgaeast.org\/huffpost-union-statement-on-layoffs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">HuffPost<\/a>. The <em>Wall Street Journal<\/em> reports that Nicholas Thompson, CEO of <em>The Atlantic<\/em>, foresees a major collapse of the traditional online news model. Earlier this year, he reportedly told staff that Google-driven traffic for the political magazine could drop close to zero, urging a complete strategic rethink.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Though many users appreciate the convenience of AI chatbots for daily news briefings or tracking developing stories, studies consistently suggest they fall short in delivering accurate and balanced reporting. A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/aboutthebbc\/documents\/bbc-research-into-ai-assistants.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">BBC review<\/a> published in February found that more than half of the responses generated by ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini and Perplexity exhibited \u201csignificant issues,\u201d with 19% containing factual errors. The study concluded that these tools \u201ccannot currently be relied upon\u201d and urged regulators and AI developers to work with trusted news organizations to improve the reliability of AI-generated content and create an \u201ceffective regulatory regime.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:heading -->\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-ai-chatbots-frequently-deliver-inaccurate-information-and-lack-journalistic-training\">AI chatbots frequently deliver inaccurate information and lack journalistic training<\/h2>\n<!-- \/wp:heading -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>According to the BBC, Google\u2019s Gemini was the most concerning for accuracy, with 46% of its responses marked as significantly flawed. Perplexity, however, had the highest proportion of problematic answers overall, exceeding 80%.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Experts have raised concerns that, despite their frequent inaccuracies and disinformative tendencies, AI chatbots gain a surprising level of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S0736585325000024#:~:text=Studies%20suggest%20that%20anthropomorphic%20agents,to%20their%20intelligence%20and%20ubiquity.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">user trust<\/a>, mostly due to how they are trained and configured to sound human. This confidence, they warn, may exacerbate the already growing problem of disinformation online.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>The consequences are particularly troubling in sensitive areas such as healthcare, where misinformation can have serious real-world impacts. According to the authors of a 2023 <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC10644115\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">FPH study<\/a> examining AI misinformation in public health, \u201cThe current inability of chatbots to distinguish varying levels of evidence-based knowledge presents a pressing challenge for global public health promotion and disease prevention.\u201d News outlets, in contrast, are guided by strict industry codes and receive training and advice from organizations like the FTC to report health-related news safely and responsibly, especially in times of crisis.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:heading -->\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-trouble-with-trusting-ai-chatbots-for-news\">The trouble with trusting AI chatbots for news<\/h2>\n<!-- \/wp:heading -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>A key concern is that current AI chatbots are not governed by these <a href=\"https:\/\/www.success.com\/what-is-the-future-of-editorial-jobs\/\">editorial standards<\/a> and often lack mechanisms to prioritize credible sources. When tackling nuanced or complex topics, these systems may rely on unreliable inputs\u2014such as Reddit threads, personal blogs or outdated data\u2014simply to produce an answer. This can create a false sense of authority, misleading users who assume the information is accurate.&nbsp;<br>AI chatbots, including those by Google and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.success.com\/openai-chatgpt-fewer-limits\/\">OpenAI<\/a>, are trained using vast datasets from the internet and designed to produce fluent, contextually appropriate language that sounds truthful. However, they are not inherently trained to distinguish fact from fiction. Despite their appeal, all signs say they are not yet dependable sources for verified news\u2014useful, perhaps, but not infallible.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph {\"fontSize\":\"small\"} -->\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><em>Photo by Marco Lazzarini\/Shutterstock<\/em><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->","tag_names":["news"],"post_attachment_urls":[],"author_email":"purdiales-antelo@mailinator.com","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.success.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87679","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.success.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.success.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.success.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/32523"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.success.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87679"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.success.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87679\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.success.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/87681"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.success.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87679"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.success.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87679"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.success.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87679"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}