Zero-Click Law: Empirical Laws of AI-Mediated Discovery v1.0

This paper introduces the Zero-Click Laws, a set of ten empirically testable propositions describing behavioral patterns in AI-mediated digital discovery. As artificial intelligence platforms increasingly resolve user queries without requiring navigation to external websites, traditional metrics of digital visibility have become inadequate.

The Zero-Click Laws provide a systematic framework for detecting, measuring, and classifying the displacement of organic traffic caused by AI answer engines, featured snippets, and generative search interfaces. Each law follows a rigorous "If/Then/Measured by" structure with specific quantitative thresholds, enabling reproducible analysis across industries and platforms. This framework establishes foundational metrics including the CTR Compression Ratio (CCR), Displacement Index (DI), and Total Interaction Equity (TIE).

Note: This document is strictly descriptive and serves as the scientific foundation for the Zero-Click Law System. Prescriptive compliance requirements are addressed in the companion document, The Structural Authority Standard.

Supplementary Material included: Glossary of Zero-Click Law Terminology.