After a wave of criticism caused by strange answers generated by artificial intelligence, Google has begun to reduce the use of AI Overviews technology in its search engine. A study by SEO company BrightEdge found that the number of responses to search queries dropped from 11% to 7% in June.
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However, as reported by The Verge, Google spokesperson Ashley Thompson denied the findings of the BrightEdge study, calling the company’s methodology incorrect. Thompson says the study doesn’t account for the difference between users who enabled the AI Overviews feature as part of Google Search Labs’ experimental features and those who didn’t. Users who choose AI Overviews in Search Labs will see them in more search results, he said. BrightEdge, in turn, claims that it tracked data only from those people who activated the AI Overviews feature.
Image source: brightedge.com
Let’s remember that since the launch of the short answer function in the AI Overviews search, Google has faced a number of embarrassments associated with ridiculous and even dangerous advice given by AI. For example, users were asked to spread glue on pizza and eat stones. In response to the criticism, Google said it was working to improve its technology by limiting the use of unverified user content in AI responses and adding tools to detect meaningless queries that AI shouldn’t receive.
Despite the difficulties, Google does not intend to abandon the AI Overviews feature. The company’s CEO Sundar Pichai said that users are reacting very positively to AI responses. However, apparently, Google is not yet ready for the mass implementation of this technology and continues to refine it. The decline in the use of AI Overviews may indicate that Google is simply afraid of backlash and loss of trust in its search engine. Moreover, users can turn to competitors such as Microsoft, OpenAI and Perplexity.