Where we got it wrong.
Every correction we have ever issued, with the original text struck through and the fix in green. Newest first.
Everyone reports AI traffic from a channel that leaves out the biggest AI surface.
There is no default AI channel. Referrer-sending assistants land in Referral, the rest land in Direct. GA4 has had a default AI Assistant channel since May 13, 2026. Assistants whose referrer Google recognizes land there, the rest land in Direct. Google Analytics announced the channel three months before we published, so the claim was wrong when it ran. We missed the announcement. It was also the headline, which read Everyone reports AI traffic from a channel grouping that does not exist. and now reads Everyone reports AI traffic from a channel that leaves out the biggest AI surface. The article carries a dated note at the top restating its conclusion, the original sentences are struck through in place, and two FAQ answers have been rewritten. The channel excludes AI Overviews and AI Mode, which Google counts as Organic Search, so the article’s point about the largest AI surface stands.