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Google search change favors AI content over human writers, lowering site rankings

  • Google recently removed "written by people" from its search guidelines, allowing AI-generated content to rank higher.

  • Many website owners say this change has caused their sites to drop dramatically in search rankings.

  • Sites with AI-generated content are now outranking human-written pages, owners report.

  • Google claims its goal is to promote "helpful" content, not target human vs AI authorship.

  • But some say Google itself is conflicted, as it develops AI models that generate similar content.

businessinsider.com
Relevant topic timeline:
Main topic: Google is adding contextual images and videos to its AI-powered Search Generative Experiment (SGE) and showing the date of publishing for suggested links. Key points: 1. Google is enhancing its AI-powered Search Generative Experiment (SGE) by adding contextual images and videos related to search queries. 2. The company is also displaying the date of publishing for suggested links to provide users with information about the recency of the content. 3. Google has made performance improvements to ensure quick access to AI-powered search results. 4. Users can sign up for testing these new features through Search Labs and access them through the Google app or Chrome. 5. Google is exploring generative AI in various products, including its chatbot Bard, Workspace tools, and enterprise solutions. 6. Google Assistant is also expected to incorporate generative AI, according to recent reports.
Main topic: Google's new Search updates for personal information, privacy, and online safety. Key points: 1. Google is introducing a new dashboard to help users find and remove search results containing their contact information. 2. Explicit imagery in search results will now be blurred by default with the new SafeSearch blurring setting. 3. Parental controls can now be easily found in Search by typing relevant queries. 4. Users can now remove their own personal, explicit images from Search. 5. Removing content from Google Search does not remove it from the web or other search engines.
The main topic is the decline in interest and usage of generative AI chatbots. Key points: 1. Consumers are losing interest in chatbots, as shown by the decline in usage of AI-powered Bing search and ChatGPT. 2. ChatGPT's website traffic and iPhone app downloads have fallen. 3. Concerns about the accuracy, safety, and biases of chatbots are growing, with examples of inaccuracies and errors being reported.
### Summary A debate has arisen about whether AI-generated content should be labeled as such, but Google does not require AI labeling as it values quality content regardless of its origin. Human editors and a human touch are still necessary to ensure high-quality and trustworthy content. ### Facts - Over 85% of marketers use AI in their content production workflow. - AI labeling involves indicating that a piece of content was generated using artificial intelligence. - Google places a higher emphasis on content quality rather than its origin. - The authority of the website and author is important to Google. - Google can detect AI-generated content but focuses on content quality and user intent. - Human editors are needed to verify facts and ensure high-quality content. - Google prioritizes natural language, which requires a human touch. - As AI becomes more prevalent, policies and frameworks may evolve.
### Summary Google's AI-generated search results have produced troubling answers, including justifications for slavery and genocide, and inaccurate information on various topics. ### Facts - A search for "benefits of slavery" resulted in Google's AI providing advantages of slavery, including fueling the plantation economy and funding colleges and markets. - Search terms like "benefits of genocide" prompted Google's AI to confuse arguments in favor of acknowledging genocide with arguments in favor of genocide itself. - Google's AI responded to queries about the benefits of guns with questionable statistics and dubious reasoning. - When a user searched for "how to cook Amanita ocreata," a highly poisonous mushroom, Google provided step-by-step instructions that would lead to harm instead of warning about its toxicity. - Google appears to censor certain search terms from generating AI responses while others slip through the filters. - The issue was discovered by Lily Ray, who tested search terms likely to produce problematic results. - Google's Search Generative Experience (SGE), an AI-powered search tool, is being tested in the US with limited availability. - Bing, Google's main competitor, provided more accurate and detailed responses to similar search queries related to controversial topics. - Google's SGE also displayed inaccuracies in responses related to other topics such as rock stars, CEOs, chefs, and child-rearing practices. - Large language models like Google's SGE may have inherent limitations that make it difficult to filter out problematic responses. Note: Bullets were chosen without emojis as there was no specific request for emojis in the text.
AI labeling, or disclosing that content was generated using artificial intelligence, is not deemed necessary by Google for ranking purposes; the search engine values quality content, user experience, and authority of the website and author more than the origin of the content. However, human editors are still crucial for verifying facts and adding a human touch to AI-generated content to ensure its quality, and as AI becomes more widespread, policies and frameworks around its use may evolve.
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Perplexity.ai is building an alternative to traditional search engines by creating an "answer engine" that provides concise, accurate answers to user questions backed by curated sources, aiming to transform how we access knowledge online and challenge the dominance of search giants like Google and Bing.
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