Generative AI is changing the way people search. Platforms like ChatGPT Search, Perplexity, and Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) are giving users direct answers instead of ten blue links. For PPC advertisers, this raises an urgent question: is AI search torching paid search as we know it?
As someone who’s been deep in the Paid Search trenches, I’ve seen Google evolve countless times. But this feels different. Here’s why.
The Click Is Under Threat
Paid search has always thrived on the simple exchange: user searches → sees ads → clicks → converts.
But Generative AI shifts that model. Instead of clicking, users often get their answers within the AI interface: product recommendations, comparisons, even booking options.
That means fewer clicks to websites, and fewer chances for ads to deliver ROI. In fact, some early reports suggest that SGE reduces traditional organic and paid clicks by 30–40% in certain industries.
What Happens to CPC and Impressions?
If AI search cuts overall query traffic, expect:
- Lower impression volumes → fewer opportunities to show ads.
- Increased competition for remaining clicks → CPCs could rise as advertisers fight for shrinking space.
- Shifts in attribution → conversions may be happening inside AI ecosystems, not on your site.
This isn’t the death of PPC, but it is a reshuffling of supply and demand.
Paid Ads Will Follow the User
Google isn’t going to let billions in ad revenue disappear. Already, we’re seeing tests of “sponsored answers” inside AI-generated results. Other platforms will follow.
For PPC professionals, the lesson is clear: ads will evolve into the AI experience. We’ll likely see:
- Native ad placements in AI answers (think: “recommended product” powered by PPC).
- Conversational commerce (ads integrated into chat-based buying journeys).
- Performance Max & AI-driven campaigns expanding in importance.
Don’t Forget Social Search
Generative AI isn’t the only disruptor. Social search is surging, with users, especially Gen Z, turning to TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube instead of Google to discover brands, products, and reviews.
That means paid social isn’t optional, it’s essential. If your audience is searching on TikTok, then TikTok Ads are the new search ads. The smartest advertisers are already blending paid search + paid social to capture intent wherever it happens.
Social-first discovery and AI-driven answers are converging, and PPC pros need to think beyond the Google SERP to maintain visibility and relevance.
How PPC Marketers Can Future-Proof Now
Don’t panic. Adapt. Here are steps I’m recommending to clients today:
- Diversify spend – balance Google Ads with Meta, TikTok, Amazon, and emerging channels.
- Invest in SEO & AEO – optimize for Answer Engine Optimization, not just search engines.
- Test AI ad betas early – be the first to understand costs, formats, and performance.
- Focus on brand demand – AI may reduce generic clicks, but branded queries remain strong.
- Double down on creative – AI search and social search both highlight content quality. Ads that feel useful and trustworthy will win.
The Bottom Line
Generative AI won’t kill paid search, it will kill bad PPC strategies. The click may be under threat, but the value of visibility, trust, and intent-driven advertising remains.
As PPC experts, we need to stop asking “is paid search dying?” and start asking “what does paid search look like in an AI-first and social-first world?”
The future of search is conversational and social. And paid media will be right there, evolving alongside it.