Over the last two years, a series of updates to Google Search amount to a dramatic upheaval to the Internet’s most powerful tool, complex with an unprecedented AI features. Will Google save the web, or destroy it? BBC reported.
If you’ve ever typed “air purifier reviews” into Google, you were probably looking for the kind of content that you’ll find on HouseFresh.com, The site started in 2020 by Gisele Navarro and her husband, based on a decade of experience writing about indoor air quality products. They filled their basement with purifiers, running rigorous science-based tests and writing articles to help consumers sort through marketing hype.
Then, in September 2023, Google made one in a series of major updates to the algorithm that runs its search engine.
A spokesperson for Google tells the BBC that the company only launches changes to Search after rigorous testing confirmed that the shift will be helpful for users, and that the company gives website owners help, resources and opportunities for feedback on their Search rankings.
CNN reported Google promised its new artificial intelligence search tools would “do the work for you” and make finding information online quicker and easier. But just days after the launch, the company is already walking back some factually incorrect results.
Google earlier this month introduced an AI-generated search results overview tool, which summarizes search results so that users don’t have to click through multiple links to get quick answers to their questions. But the feature came under fire this week after it provided false or misleading information to some users’ questions.
For example, several users posted on X that Google’s AI summary said that former President Barack Obama is a Muslim, a common misconception. In fact, Obama is a Christian. Another user posted that a Google AI summary that said “none of Africa’s 54 recognized countries start with the letter ‘K” — clearly forgetting Kenya.
Google confirmed to CNN on Friday that the AI overviews for both queries had been removed for violating the company’s policies.
NBC News reported social media has been buzzing with examples of Google’s new “experimental” artificial intelligence tool going awry. The feature, which writes an “AI overview” response to user queries based on sources pulled from around the web, has been placed at the top of some search results.
But repeatedly, social media posts show that the tool is delivering wrong or misleading results. An NBC News review of answers provided by the tool showed that it sometimes displays false information in response to simple queries.
For example, an NBC News search for “how many feet does an elephant have” resulted in a Google AI overview answer that said “Elephants have two feet, with five toes on the first feet and four on the back feet.”
In my opinion, Google’s AI is not really ready yet. It appears to be grabbing information off various websites and giving wrong answers.