It’s no secret that Google is trying to implement AI into almost every product under its vast umbrella. Last year, we saw Google testing AI-generated story blurbs in Discover. The company then decided to “experiment” with AI-generated headlines in December, and stopped calling it an experiment more than a month later.
An extensive report by The Verge sheds light on similarly concerning developments in Google Search. This “experiment” replaces the original news headlines in traditional search results (as they are commonly known). 10 blue links) generated by AI.
One of the articles from this publication appeared in a search with the following heading:Cheat Everything’s AI tools. If you haven’t read this article before, you’ll think this is what I recommend this tool for. Meanwhile, the original headline read:I used the “cheat everything” AI tool but couldn’t cheat anything”, which is basically the opposite of what the writer was trying to convey (via 9to5Google).
Obviously, this can quickly become a problem, especially if users rely on search engines to find accurate and up-to-date information about current events. The Verge asked for a response from a Google spokesperson about this particular change, who said the scope of the experiment was “narrow,” adding that it has not yet been approved for wider rollout.
Is this just an experiment or a sign of things to come?
As the screenshot above shows, search results may also ignore the text before and after the em dash in the heading. The original headline reads:Lego’s smart brick’s battery can’t be replaced – and many of its sensors aren’t working yet,” and “I Met Olaf – The Frozen Robot That Could Be the Future of Disney Parks. ”
To provide some grace, a spokesperson said that even if Google were to proceed with this experiment, “No generative models are used and no generative AI creates headings“However, it was not clear what measures would be used instead. Another spokesperson said the test was designed to:Identify content on a page that makes a title useful and relevant to a user’s query. ”
Google says the experiment will not be limited to news articles indexed in search, but will also extend to websites. Needless to say, the use of AI in news headlines is of greater concern since they can be read by millions of people within hours of appearing in a Google search.
Admittedly, I’ve never seen an Android Police headline replaced by an AI-generated one. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean it won’t happen. This test is limited to a few regions, and there’s a good chance Google will expand it to other parts of the world soon.
We hope this idea never gets beyond the experimental stage, but considering what happened with Google Discover a while back, this might just be wishful thinking on our part.
