Google is changing search to provide AI-generated answers, impacting website traffic and truthfulness. AI chatbots are unreliable, and users need to be cautious. The shift towards generative answers will decrease traffic for bloggers, businesses, and publishers. The podcast also touches on climate solutions like leaving your lawn unmowed to benefit nature.
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insights INSIGHT
Google's Transition to Answer Engine
Google transitioned from a search engine to an answer engine.
It now directly answers questions, impacting traffic to original sources.
question_answer ANECDOTE
AI-Generated Summaries and Plagiarism Concerns
A search for weekend trips from Washington, D.C. yielded AI-generated summaries.
These summaries sometimes bordered on plagiarism from source websites.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Verify AI-Generated Information
Users should cross-reference AI-generated information with other sources.
AI chatbots are unreliable and can fabricate answers.
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Google is changing the way its search feature works, feeding users AI-generated replies to their questions rather than directing them to other websites.
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At its annual developer conference this week, tech giant Google is expected to tout big changes to its signature product, search. Instead of directing users to a list of websites or showing them an excerpt, Google’s AI will craft paragraphs of text that tries to answer users’ questions directly.
AI reporter Gerrit De Vynck says the change could have huge consequences for the internet. Because AI chatbots are still unreliable, and because the information feeding the generative answers comes from a range of sources, users will need to watch out for false information. And the new format means that sources across the web – bloggers, businesses, newspapers and other publishers – are likely to see a huge loss of traffic.
Gerrit joins us to break down what the changes to Google search mean for users, and why the company is moving in this direction.
Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks also to Heather Kelly.
Also on the show: The Climate Solutions team at the Post has an eye-opening story about the benefits of leaving your lawn unmowed and letting nature do its thing. Read it here.
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