Google's AI Summaries Are Eating Recipe Blogs Alive

Google's AI summaries are steamrolling recipe sites. Writers, take note.

When Google launched AI Mode for search, it began spitting out "synthesized" recipes pulled from multiple creators. The output often strips context and testing. In one infamous case, it confused the Onion with real sites and suggested cooking with non-toxic glue.

This isn't new. Open blogs have been scraped for years. You'll find AI-stitched cookbooks on marketplaces, AI-built sites that mimic blogs, and repurposed photos pushing traffic to low-effort pages. The result: a flood of slop readers can't easily distinguish from real work.

Here's the kicker for food creators: recipes, as instructions, generally aren't protected by copyright (the exact wording can be). That removes a key legal shield. For reference, see the U.S. Copyright Office's guidance on recipes here.

What creators are seeing right now

Jim Delmage (Sip and Feast) says many are afraid to speak up because their livelihoods are at risk. Matt Rodbard (Taste) calls this "an extinction event" for sites tied to ad revenue.

The holiday season is usually their Super Bowl. This year, some report big drops. Carrie Forrest (Clean Eating Kitchen) says she's lost 80% of her traffic over two years. Others, like Delmage and Karen Tedesco (Familystyle Food), have held steady by focusing on loyal followers instead of "gaming" search.

Tedesco's Italian meatballs ranked first in traditional search. Flip to AI Mode and her recipe was merged with nine other sources into a thin list of steps. The links were there, but as she puts it, people trust what's in their face and don't click through.

Adam Gallagher (Inspired Taste) saw impressions rise while visits fell - a sign users are satisfied with the AI summary and never reach the original. Rodbard notes blog UX hasn't helped: ad stacks made many sites slow and annoying, which makes Google's clean summary feel easier. Tom Critchlow at Raptive points to Google's algorithm shifts and AI Mode as the real drag on discoverability.

There's some pushback: a Raptive survey suggests the more people use AI, the less they want to, and nearly half rate AI content less trustworthy than human work. Still, behavior often follows convenience.

Some creators consider paywalls or moving to Substack/Patreon. Tedesco says without a large prebuilt audience, she'd be broke if she abandoned her site. Rodbard thinks cookbooks are due for a return - tested, trustworthy, and pleasant to use. But AI training and piracy have hit books too; datasets like LibGen have been scraped and resold by bad actors.

What this means for writers (not just food)

Aggregators will keep the quick answers. Average content loses the click. Depth and trust keep it.

Platforms are rented land. If your business depends on them for discovery or income, you're exposed. Build direct lines to readers and ship things worth paying for.

A 30-day playbook to protect reach and revenue

• Fix the experience: Cut intrusive ads, speed up pages, simplify layouts. If your site feels painful, users will accept weaker answers to avoid it.
• Own your distribution: Add a lightweight email capture with a clear promise (weekly tested recipes, behind-the-scenes notes, or a "what I'm cooking" digest). Deliver on schedule.
• Make content non-fungible: Add "Why this works," substitution logic, test notes, failure modes, and step photos. AI summaries can't compress what actually requires judgment.
• Design for skim → depth: Put a tight summary up top for busy readers, then the full process. You keep both the quick scanner and the serious cook.
• Ship one product: A focused PDF (10 recipes that solve weeknights, or gluten-free baking troubleshooting). Pre-sell to validate.
• Offer a backer tier: Private Q&A, monthly live cook-along, early releases, or a members-only index. Keep the pitch simple.
• Syndicate with intent: Short videos that show the key technique and point to the full post. Always include a clear call to action.
• Strengthen author signals: Add clear bylines, credentials, testing methodology, and contact routes. Make expertise obvious.
• Measure what matters: Track impressions vs. CTR in Search Console. If AI answers are stealing clicks, double down on email and community.
• Create pillar hubs: One "source of truth" page per topic (e.g., sourdough basics) that interlinks all related posts. Help readers stay on your site.

Technical guardrails (with trade-offs)

• Robots controls: Consider blocking AI training bots like GPTBot via robots.txt (details here). This won't stop scraping, and blocking some bots can reduce exposure in tools people use. Choose deliberately.
• Rate limits & hotlinking: Throttle abusive requests and prevent image hotlinking to cut free rides on your media.
• Watermarks & EXIF: Light watermarks and embedded info won't stop copying, but they help with takedowns and attribution disputes.
• Enforce selectively: Send removal notices for outright clones. Don't waste cycles on low-impact offenders; protect your best assets first.

Platform strategy that doesn't hollow out your voice

• Use AI as a lever, not a crutch: Draft outlines, generate shopping lists, or QA instructions - but keep the tone, testing, and wisdom human. If you're adding AI to your workflow, make sure it saves time without flattening your style.
• Build "click-worthy" assets: Calculators, printable checklists, batch-cooking planners, or substitution charts. Summaries can't reproduce tools.
• Skill up fast: If you want structured training on productive AI use for writers and creators, explore these resources: AI courses by job and AI tools for copywriting.

Print and premium

Consider a cookbook or print zine. Pre-sell to your list to reduce risk. Pair it with a private community or workshop series for ongoing value.

The bet that still works

Trust compounds. The more readers see your process - testing, context, why you made certain choices - the more they return and pay. AI answers scratch a quick itch. You're building taste and outcomes.

The platforms will keep shifting. Keep your focus on direct relationships, distinctive work, and a clean path to support you. That's how you stay in the game - even when the click gets eaten.