Google Announces Significant Changes to Its Search Algorithms

Google, the world's most popular search engine, has recently announced significant changes to its search algorithms by incorporating AI-generated search results. While these changes aim to provide users with more efficient and concise information, they raise concerns for newsrooms and news publishers. 

One of the most significant consequences of Google's AI-generated search results is the potential decrease in traffic sent to publishers' websites. As users find the information they need directly on the Google search page, they may be less inclined to click on the links leading to news publishers’ sites. This shift can be detrimental to publishers who heavily rely on Google's referral traffic for their online visibility and revenue generation. However, a possible option that “highlights humans” could invalidate this concern by leading users directly to journalists, and then to their newsrooms—but a major issue of relying on this is the uncertainty of how this will work or whether it will work objectively.

Google's new feature, known as the Search Generative Experience (SGE), presents AI-generated answers at the top of search pages. Google described the tool as follows:

“Let’s take a question like ‘what’s better for a family with kids under 3 and a dog, bryce canyon or arches?’  Normally, you might break this one question down into smaller ones, sort through the vast information available, and start to piece things together yourself. With generative AI, Search can do some of that heavy lifting for you. You’ll see an AI-powered snapshot of key information to consider, with links to dig deeper.”  

Washington Post technology columnist Geoffrey Fowler tried the feature for himself and reported the following observations:

“When Google’s SGE answers a question, it includes corroboration: prominent links to several of its sources along the left side. Tap on an icon in the upper right corner, and the view expands to offer source sites sentence by sentence in the AI’s response. There are two ways to view this: It could save me a click and having to slog through a site filled with extraneous information. But it could also mean I never go to that other site to discover something new or an important bit of context.”

Google is also expanding the use of the Perspectives filter, which brings user-created content, such as Reddit posts, YouTube videos, and blog posts, into search results, a decision that increases the subjectivity of information available to the user. As users increasingly seek information from individuals rather than institutions, this feature caters to their preferences.

While this change may present opportunities for content creators and smaller news publishers, it also raises questions about how Google defines "other people'' and whether established news institutions will be included in this category. However, Google’s tool is already refusing subjective questions. Wired’s Will Knight asked the tool “if Joe Biden is a good president or for information about different US states’ abortion laws,” and SGE declined to answer the question. This roundabout method of redirecting users to subjective sources, however, will have a profound effect on newsrooms—even giants like the New York Times.

“We’re finding that often our users, particularly some of our younger users, want to hear from other people,” Liz Reid, Google’s VP of search, said to The Verge. “They don’t just want to hear from institutions or big brands. So how do we make that easy for people to access?” Unfortunately, the only definitive answer to how this will ultimately affect journalists and newsrooms will come as the tool is used, grows, and develops.