Google, who has often defended the strength of the Internet ecosystem, has recently filed in a court that the open web “is already in a rapid decline.” The statement comes as part of the ongoing legal battle with the US Department of Justice (Doj), which is trying to curb Google’s dominance in the online advertisement.

For months, the company publicly argued that the Internet is in good health and its artificial intelligence products have not caused the fall in traffic, many publishers are being seen. In June, Google’s Senior Vice President Nick Fox recorded to say “the web is complete.” But the latest entry into court presents a very different picture and has attracted attention as it shows that publishers may face challenges.

The specific line appears in a legal response where Google argues against the proposed measures of Doj. The filing reads: “The fact is that today, the open web is already in a rapid decline and only the proposal of division of the plaintiff will intensify the decline, damage to the publishers who currently rely on open-Web display advertising revenue. As the law clear, an industry must intervene to resume an industry that is already in an industry that is already in an industry.”

The situation of Google is that the open web is already going through disruption due to market status and rise of new advertising formats. The company claims that forcing its advertising business breakup will worsen the situation rather than helping publishers. It indicates especially to areas such as connected TV and retail media, making major investments from advertisers, often at the cost of traditional open-Web display advertising.

The statement is contrary to Google’s earlier defense, where he rejected research studies, suggesting that AI equipment was removing web traffic. At that time, the company said that overall clicks remained stable and the quality of traffic actually improved. It also rejected research findings as “defective”.

The issue has come under investigation as many digital publishers and independent website owners have registered a decline in visitors in the last one year. Many people link the drop for Google Search updates and the growing use of AI chatbots, which can often provide direct answers without users leading to external websites.

After paying attention to its filing, Google tried to soften the interpretation. A spokesperson said that the comment was being incorrectly presented, making it clear that the reference was especially “open-week display advertisement”, not for the broader health of the Internet. The spokesman said that the company was only telling that advertising expenses were going to new platforms outside the traditional open web.

The test on Google’s advertising technology monopoly is still going on, and the result will determine whether the company will be forced to have structural changes.