And perhaps even more troublesome, Google users are more likely to end their browsing session after seeing an AI overview. It suggests that many people are looking at information generated by the robots, and their investigation stops there. Unfortunately for these people, generative AI in all forms is prone to “hapticism” that provides misinformation. This allows more people to walk away from searching with the wrong information.
The AI overview is integrated with Google results and is always visible in more searches.
Credit: Google
The AI overview is integrated with Google results and is always visible in more searches.
Credit: Google
This problem is unlikely to improve over time. Since launching AI Overview, Google has repeatedly expanded the number of searches to get a summary of the robot. The Pew Research Center says that about one person in five searches has an overview of AI. In general, the more words you search, the more likely you are to trigger an AI overview. This is especially true for searches expressed as questions. The survey shows that 60% of questions and 36% of full-text searches are answered by AI.
Google, of course, disagrees with this conclusion of this work. The company’s full statement is: “People are drawn to AI-powered experiences, and AI features where AI features are being searched can help people ask more questions and create new opportunities for people to connect with their websites.
Still, this study provides more evidence that Google’s use of AI is changing the way people gather information and interact with search results. Trends are bad for Web Publishing, but Google’s profits are higher than ever. It’s strange how it works.
Updated 7/23 with Google Statement.
