I asked ChatGpt As far as i am aware a large proportion of website owners are now using AI to populate their web pages. From your point of view, where do you think this will go in 2026 -2027 and finally what do you think will happen to small website ecommerce owners

The answer was revealing.

I’m going to ground this in what’s happening right now with search, AI-generated content, and ecommerce tools, then give you my best judgment for 2026–2027.

One pattern is already pretty clear: AI-written content itself is not the problem; interchangeable, low-value content at scale is. The bigger shift is that Google is pushing more answers and shopping discovery into AI surfaces, which changes where clicks go.

I’ve got enough to give you a grounded view now. My bottom line is that the web is not heading toward “all AI wins”; it’s heading toward “average content gets cheaper, while trust and real differentiation get more valuable.”Thought for 1m 35s

Yes — and my honest view is that 2026–2027 will be the period where the web splits into two very different layers.

At the top layer, AI becomes the default production tool. Website builders and commerce platforms already push that direction: Wix and Squarespace both market AI website builders, WordPress.com has an AI website builder, and Shopify’s Winter ’26 release leans heavily into Sidekick and agentic tools for store operations and content work. At the same time, Google’s official position is not “AI content is bad”; it is that AI content is fine unless it becomes scaled, unoriginal content made mainly to manipulate rankings.

So my first prediction is this: most websites will use AI for drafts, product copy, translations, FAQs, support content, and page creation. That part is basically becoming normal infrastructure. But because everyone can produce “acceptable” pages cheaply, the average web page will become more samey and less defensible. In other words, AI will raise the floor, but it will also flatten the middle.

The second big shift is discovery. Google says AI Overviews and AI Mode are becoming a core part of Search, and its documentation says there are no special extra tricks to appear there beyond normal SEO fundamentals, good content, and keeping structured data and Merchant Center info accurate. Google also says free product listings can appear not only in Search and Shopping, but across Maps, Images, Lens, YouTube, and Gemini. That tells me the future is less about “write 200 SEO blog posts” and more about feeding search systems clean product data, inventory, pricing, reviews, images, and trustworthy site signals.

My third prediction is the uncomfortable one: a lot of informational traffic will keep disappearing. Google says AI Overviews are driving more search usage, but third-party studies are finding that pages get fewer clicks when AI answers appear. Ahrefs’ February 2026 update estimated a 58% lower CTR for the top-ranking page when AI Overviews are present, and Search Engine Land reported Google AI Overviews appearing on 14% of shopping queries in March 2026, up sharply from late 2025 based on Visibility Labs data. The exact percentages will vary by study, but the direction is clear: more questions get partially answered before the click.

That leads to my main view of where this goes in 2026–2027:

The open web will not disappear, but commodity pages will matter less.
Pages that are generic, lightly edited, or interchangeable will lose value. Pages tied to real products, real expertise, real photos, real reviews, real availability, and real brand identity will matter more. Google’s own guidance keeps pointing in that direction: helpful, reliable, people-first content; accurate structured data; up-to-date Merchant Center and business information.

For small ecommerce owners, I do not think the outcome is “they all get wiped out.” I think they split into winners and losers.

The losers will mostly be small stores that look interchangeable: same suppliers, same catalogue as everyone else, AI-written product descriptions, weak photography, no distinct brand, no loyal customer base, and heavy dependence on Google organic traffic. Those businesses were already fragile, and AI search plus AI-generated competitor content will squeeze them harder. Google’s spam and helpful-content guidance makes that risk pretty explicit.

The winners will be small ecommerce owners who use AI internally but stay human externally. By that I mean: use AI for speed, admin, merchandising ideas, first drafts, customer-service assistance, ad testing, and analytics — but make the actual storefront stronger with original photos, clear positioning, product expertise, better bundles, better shipping/returns, first-party reviews, email/SMS retention, and community. Shopify’s current direction supports that: AI is becoming an operating assistant, not a substitute for having a real business.

So my blunt forecast is:

2026: AI-made websites and AI-filled pages become normal. Search gets more answer-first and shopping-feed-driven.
2027: many small stores discover that traffic alone is less reliable, and the businesses that survive best are the ones with a brand, direct audience, and better product data rather than just more pages.

One more thing: I also expect more fighting over attribution and platform power. The European Commission opened a formal antitrust investigation in December 2025 into whether Google’s use of publisher content for AI purposes may breach EU competition rules. That suggests 2026–2027 may also bring more pressure for licensing, attribution, opt-outs, or new rules around how AI search systems use web content.

So in one sentence: small ecommerce owners are not doomed, but the easy version of ecommerce is. The store owner who sells the same thing as everyone else and relies on generic SEO copy will struggle. The owner who uses AI as leverage while building a real brand and better customer experience still has a very good chance.

How to prepare for the short term future.

What to do

1. Stop trying to win with volume.
   Use AI for drafts, rewrites, alt text, support replies, and admin work, but do not publish large batches of near-duplicate category pages, thin blog posts, or generic “SEO” content. Google’s current guidance is still that there are no special tricks for AI Overviews or AI Mode beyond normal SEO basics, and that success comes from helpful, reliable, people-first, unique non-commodity content. Google also warns that using generative AI to create many pages without adding value can violate its spam policy.
2. Treat product data as seriously as copywriting.
   Add and maintain product structured data on product pages. Google says this can make your products eligible for richer appearances in Search, Images, and Lens, including price, availability, ratings, shipping information, and more. For stores with variants, use variant markup as well, because Google explicitly supports variants.
3. Get your catalog into Google’s shopping surfaces.
   Set up Merchant Center free listings, or the equivalent platform integration if your store platform supports it. Google says free product listings can appear across Search, Maps, Images, Lens, YouTube, Gemini, the Shopping tab, and even the products module on Business Profile. My read is that this matters more and more because discovery is spreading across multiple Google surfaces, not just classic blue links.
4. Own your shipping and returns visibility.
   Google now lets online merchants share shipping and returns information either directly in Search Console or through organization-level structured data. That matters because Google says those fulfillment details may appear in product search results, knowledge panels, and brand profiles. For a small store, clear shipping speed, cost, and return policy are trust signals, not just operations details.
5. Measure the pages that actually make money.
   Use Search Console’s Performance report to watch clicks, impressions, CTR, and average position by page and query. Also use the Shopping reports for merchant listings and product snippets to catch invalid structured data and see whether your markup is eligible for rich results. A practical habit is to look for products with strong impressions but weak CTR first; those often need better titles, images, prices, or review proof.
6. Make your product pages look like they came from a real merchant, not a prompt.
   Google’s own guidance for AI search emphasizes unique, satisfying content and a good page experience. For a small store, that usually means original photos, short demo videos, sizing notes, compatibility notes, real FAQs, honest delivery info, and clear returns. These are the things that are hard to mass-produce convincingly and easier for shoppers to trust.
7. Use reviews and ratings as a moat.
   Google’s product features can show review information in search results, and Google Business Profile says more reviews and positive ratings can help local ranking. That means reviews are doing double duty: they improve conversion on-site and they strengthen visibility in Google’s surfaces. Focus on collecting real reviews and replying to them.
8. If you have any local angle at all, lean into it.
   If you have a shop, showroom, pickup point, or service area, fully complete and verify your Google Business Profile. Google says complete business info, current hours, reviews, photos, and in some cases in-store products can improve local visibility. It also gives you performance data on searches, views, calls, directions, and website clicks.
9. Use AI more for operations than for storefront voice.
   Commerce platforms are clearly moving toward AI-assisted operations. Shopify’s Winter ’26 materials describe Sidekick as giving personalized recommendations, next steps, and even helping execute changes with merchant oversight. That is where I think small stores get the best return: merchandising assistance, workflow help, support drafting, and admin speed, while keeping the brand voice and product truth grounded in real experience.
10. If you use AI images or AI product data, follow the rules.
    Google says that for ecommerce, AI-generated images in Merchant Center need IPTC DigitalSourceType metadata, and AI-generated product title/description attributes must be specified separately and labeled as AI-generated. So if you go down that route, do it carefully instead of quietly mixing synthetic assets into your feed.