Google is tweaking the tech behind its AI overviews in Search to expand the information it provides and the sources it pulls from. These updates are designed to help you “explore relevant websites, deep insights and original content,” the company said in a blog post on Wednesday. But you may not want all of that.
The biggest changes will have Google including more first-person advice from online forums like Reddit and “other firsthand sources.” The idea is to connect you with information from people who’ve already tried the things you’re searching for. But like any online search, you’ll want to double-check the source. Remember when sarcastic Reddit comments had an early version of Google’s AI Overviews, advising us to put glue on pizza and eat rocks?
Google will also include related information on the topic you’re searching for, even if it isn’t quite what you asked for. For example, if you search for how cities have added more green space, Google may highlight a particular place (in this example, Curtiba, Brazil) but also include a “further exploration” section at the bottom of the AI summary that includes links about efforts in other cities.
Notice the new section at the bottom called “Further exploration.”
Some other changes are meant to make it easier to see where Google’s AI is sourcing its information and find the right links. You’ll be able to see which websites are providing the info for each point in a bulleted list. You’ll also get a better, bigger preview of these websites when you hover over them on desktop searches. Any sources you’ve saved as a preferred source or told Google you have a subscription to will be easier to find in AI results, too. You can add CNET as a preferred source here.
These AI-created summaries are among the many ways the tech giant has injected more AI into Search. Its AI Mode is a dedicated AI search experience, meant to help you dive deep on topics by chatting with Google like you would with a chatbot. The company introduced personalized intelligence earlier this year to help Google tailor its search results to your life and interests. But Google Search’s AI makeover has affected publishers in dramatic and often unpredictable ways, and its not-totally-error-free AI summaries should have people more inclined to double-check the source, even if people aren’t doing so.
Correction, 3:17 p.m.: A previous version of this article incorrectly described an example of the search function’s use of related sources.
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