Is AI Quietly Killing Websites?

by Matthew R. Paden | Sunday, May 24th 2026

Is AI Quietly Killing Websites?

I keep coming back to a question that feels increasingly uncomfortable the more I think about it:

What happens if people stop visiting websites altogether?

Not because websites suddenly disappear, but because they slowly become unnecessary. For years the internet worked on a fairly straightforward exchange. Someone had a question, opened a search engine, typed a phrase, and clicked through websites looking for answers.

Traffic moved from search results to articles, portfolios, blogs, and business websites.

Creative people learned to adapt to that system. Illustrators wrote articles. Designers published tutorials.

Artists built portfolio websites.

Creative blogs became a way to establish expertise, attract clients, and create audiences. You created useful content because useful content helped people discover your work.

Now AI is beginning to interrupt that relationship.

Search engines increasingly summarize information directly on the results page. AI assistants answer questions instantly. People ask for advice and receive polished responses without opening ten browser tabs.

Suddenly I'm wondering:

If answers no longer require websites, what happens to the people creating those websites?

And for artists specifically, that question feels even more complicated.

Because many of us aren't just worried about losing traffic. We're worried that the very content we create is becoming fuel for systems that may eventually replace the visibility we depend on.

Search May Be Changing Faster Than We Expected

For years people learned to build websites around search behavior. The process was familiar.

Someone searches: "Best drawing tablets for illustrators." "How to create stronger character designs."

"How much should freelance artists charge?"

The search engine provides links.

Users visit websites. Creators gain traffic. Traffic becomes subscribers, clients, ad revenue, and opportunities.

That model has been driving a huge portion of the internet for decades.

But AI changes the experience entirely.

Now users increasingly ask questions and receive immediate summaries. Instead of opening five articles and piecing information together, AI organizes the answer instantly.

From a user standpoint, that's incredibly convenient. Honestly, I understand the appeal. Nobody enjoys opening endless pages just to locate one simple answer buried beneath advertisements, pop-ups, and ten paragraphs of filler.

But convenience creates consequences.

Because if fewer people click through to websites, fewer people discover creators. And if fewer people discover creators, entire creative ecosystems begin to feel pressure.

That's where the concern starts feeling very real.

Creative Websites Depend on Discovery

Large corporations have marketing budgets. Major brands have advertising departments. Massive companies can absorb changes in traffic patterns.

Character Design by Matthew R. Paden

Individual artists usually don't have that luxury.

Many illustrators and designers rely heavily on discovery. A creative website often serves several purposes at once: It's a portfolio. It's a professional identity.

It's a place for writing and content.

It's proof of experience. It's a way to attract future clients. And for many people, blog content acts as the front door. Someone searches:

"How I approach cartoon character design."

They read an article. They enjoy your perspective. They browse your portfolio. Maybe they subscribe.

Maybe they become a client. Maybe they share your work.

That chain reaction matters.

But what happens if AI intercepts the process?

What happens if the information from your article gets summarized before anyone reaches your site? What happens if the answer arrives without the journey?

Suddenly your website risks becoming invisible infrastructure. Your work exists. Your ideas exist.

But people may never actually arrive there.

The Bigger Problem Isn't Traffic—It's Training Data

I think there's another issue sitting underneath all of this, and it's the part that many artists seem increasingly uneasy about. The internet doesn't simply contain our work anymore.

“Generative AI crawlers and summaries threaten the foundations of the internet's business model.” — Matthew Prince 

It may also be teaching machines. Illustrators publish process articles. Artists write tutorials.

Designers share opinions. Creators upload portfolios.

Over time, large amounts of online content can contribute to training and improving AI systems.

That creates an uncomfortable feeling. Because many artists are asking:

"Wait a minute... am I helping build the thing that eventually competes with me?"

That's where the conversation becomes emotionally complicated. As creators, we're generally encouraged to share. Share knowledge. Share process. Share experiences. Share insights.

For years openness helped build communities.

Now some artists wonder whether openness carries a cost. Imagine spending years building useful educational content for your website. Then imagine future users receiving pieces of that information through AI-generated summaries without ever knowing where it originated.

You can understand why some creators feel uneasy. It starts feeling less like discovery and more like extraction.

Should There Be Ethical Solutions?

I think this is where the discussion becomes important because technological change itself isn't the problem.

Technology has always evolved. The issue becomes how creators fit into that evolution.

Right now I think several difficult questions are emerging:

Should creators be allowed to opt out of AI training?

Should websites receive compensation if their content substantially contributes to AI-generated answers?

Should AI systems provide stronger attribution?

Should creators have more control over how their work gets used?

These aren't simple questions. Because AI systems become useful partly because they can access huge amounts of information. At the same time, creators need incentives to continue creating.

If artists begin feeling that their work only feeds larger systems while reducing visibility for themselves, eventually fewer people may choose to contribute openly.

That creates a strange long-term problem. AI still requires ideas. AI still requires human creativity. AI still requires source material. If the internet gradually discourages creators from sharing, everyone loses something.

Are Artists Actually Screwed?

I think this is the point where fear starts taking over the conversation. And honestly, I understand why.

Because there are legitimate reasons for concern.

“People are increasingly seeking out and clicking on sites with forums, videos, podcasts, and posts where they can hear authentic voices and first-hand perspectives.” — Liz Reid 

Traffic patterns are changing.

Search behavior is changing. Visibility models are changing. AI-generated content is increasing rapidly.

Ignoring those realities would be naive.

But I also think creative people sometimes underestimate what audiences actually value. People rarely hire illustrators because they simply create images. People hire them because they like their style.

Their thinking. Their personality. Their problem-solving. Their voice.

The same applies to content.

Readers don't only return because information exists. They return because they enjoy how someone communicates. AI can summarize information.

But summarizing information isn't necessarily the same thing as building trust. And trust still matters.

I suspect audiences will increasingly look for signals of authenticity:

Who created this? Who has experience? Whose perspective feels unique?

Whose work has personality?

Ironically, AI may create so much generic material that distinct human voices become easier to notice.

I Don't Think Websites Die—But I Think the Rules Change

I don't think AI completely kills websites. I think it changes their purpose. But when I step back and ask myself, "Is AI Quietly Killing Websites?" I understand why so many creators are starting to worry.

Websites may stop functioning purely as search destinations. Instead they may become something closer to digital homes.

Places where creators build communities rather than simply attract clicks. Places where people subscribe directly. Places where audiences connect with personalities instead of random articles.

But I also think creators deserve practical and ethical protections.

Because right now many artists are contributing tremendous amounts of value to the internet while wondering whether the system around them is shifting beneath their feet.

That's a fair concern.

I don't think artists are doomed. I don't think we're witnessing the extinction of creative websites.

But I do think we're entering a period where creators need to ask difficult questions about ownership, visibility, and value. And perhaps the biggest question of all is this:

If AI becomes the primary doorway to information, who makes sure the people creating the ideas behind that information still matter?

Because if we don't answer that question, the future of creative websites may not disappear overnight.

It may simply become quieter.

And that possibility might be far more unsettling.