Google is testing hiding the AI origins of a new Search feature (Updated)
UPDATE: The new feature is not AI Overview, but instead something new.
JoriPress
- Google is testing a new feature in Search that uses generative AI to create helpful information related to search queries, similar to the current AI Overview system.
- Notably, this new system is not called AI Overview and lacks any indication that the presented content was generated by AI.
- In this new system, the Gemini logo is missing, and the large “Show More” button that would appear in AI Overview has been replaced with a much smaller “More” link.
Update, September 13, 2024 (07:24 PM ET): In the original article below, we surmised that Google’s new test of unlabeled AI search results was a part of AI Overview due to its similarity in both function and placement on the search results page. However, we have updated the article to reflect that this is not a part of the AI Overview system. Instead, this is a new feature in testing that is unrelated to AI Overview. However, the core of the issue — that this new feature uses generative AI but does not clearly label the created content as AI-generated — remains unchanged.
Original article, September 13, 2024 (01:06 PM ET): Google seems to be making it more difficult for users to know that the summaries it provides at the top of search results are generated by AI. It’s testing a new system that appears to be very similar to the current AI Overview feature, but it lacks that system’s prominent labeling that the content depicted is AI-generated.
