Google is updating search to improve the AI experience by adding additional context to links, such as conversations from web forums, and the ability to highlight links from users’ news subscriptions.
Citing web forums and discussion boards can help users find answers to more niche questions, but this design choice can also be confusing.
Two years ago, Google completely overhauled its search experience to bring AI to the forefront. When searching for something, Google often calls up “AI Overview,” which has sparked mixed reviews from users. People were quick to point out that this feature could be exploited because it cannot recognize sarcasm or information from questionable sources. (This article cited The Onion when advising people to eat “one small stone a day,” and used Reddit when advising people to put glue on pizza to make the cheese stick better.)
Google’s AI Overview has improved significantly, but like anything powered by LLM, it’s still prone to hallucinations. A recent New York Times analysis found that AI summaries were correct 9 out of 10 times. But for companies that process trillions of queries a year, that success rate means hundreds of thousands of searches each minute yield inaccurate results.
Of course, not every search has an objective “yes” or “no” answer. So Google may want to tap into Web forums where people discuss such questions. There’s a reason people often add “Reddit” to the end of their Google searches.
“People increasingly seek advice from others for many searches,” Google explains. “To help you find the most useful insights for further investigation, AI responses now include previews of perspectives from public online discussions, social media, and other first-hand sources. We’re also adding context to these links, such as the author’s name, handle, and community name, to help you decide which discussions to read or participate in.”
But now, Google is complicating the role of AI Overview. Is AI Overview intended to answer a question, or is it intended to provide a variety of sources that may contain the information you’re looking for? Isn’t it basically a regular Google search?
At the very least, Google plans to add more context about the origins of its AI Overview explanations, which could help users decipher whether they’re getting their information from a trusted source. This is similar to how ChatGPT and Claude sometimes provide links that they think support their claims.
Still, it’s a good idea to double-check that the AI isn’t hallucinating the validity of these quotes.
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