Generative AI is rewriting the rules of online traffic and reshaping the economics of the open web. As answer engines pull information directly from online sources without sending visitors to the original websites, the incentive to create new knowledge is collapsing. This session explores what is at stake for publishers, platforms, and users if the referral economy continues to erode. It also highlights solutions such as blocking AI crawlers and pay-per-crawl frameworks that aim to sustain content creation and safeguard transparency in the digital economy.