The search engine Google recently implemented an ‘AI Overview’ feature that is designed to summarize the search results of a user’s question. The AI Overview now pops up at the very top of the page with often unhelpful or factually incorrect information, replacing the typical links and data that used to make up this area.
Twitter/Jeremiah Johnson
One of the many examples of the AI Overview feature becoming confused by a jokingly serious Reddit post.
Not only is the new feature distracting for many, the artificial intelligence has made a number of alarming mistakes during its debut month.
Pulling information from various sources on the internet means the AI is exposed to professional medical and news outlets, as well as user generated content on personal blogs, satirical websites, and social media.
Often the AI Overview gives a result of basic factual information semi-relevant to the googled question, but on the rare occasion the overview presents entirely false information.
With one search result for cheese sticking to pizza, the AI Overview suggests adding ⅛ cup of non-toxic glue, with this idea originating from a decade old Reddit comment. The AI cannot distinguish between satire and accurate information, only what content is popular and most visited in terms of searches.
The satirical website The Onion, with its mocking headlines and commentary content presented as fact is a popular website and one that the AI often believes, making the overview prone to unreliable and random seeming information.
Artificial intelligence has become every corporation’s new favorite toy, with many online applications introducing new features that use the technology. However, as seen through Google’s attempt, it’s often met with resistance from users and a litany of issues.
The inclusion of AI in any kind of space is often unnecessary and results in a reduction in jobs as well as an increase in mistakes within the program. While it’s true that artificial intelligence is still being improved upon and needs to be interacted with to grow, it’s inclusion is often arbitrary and a blatant excuse for a company to expend less money.
Google’s inclusion of the new technology fosters an era of less online accountability and encourages lazy researching.
With artificial intelligence pulling data from multiple sources, there’s more of a chance of confusion in what is being said as well as biased data. Having the AI be the first search result could make users falsely believe that the information given is all they need, when further research from multiple sources should be explored.
The AI Overview also allows Google to skew search results and favor certain web domains over other smaller websites that may see a decrease in traffic through this update. Seen through the shockingly bad mistakes the AI has made, the artificial intelligence cannot differentiate between satirical content versus factual, making it unable to compile accurate information.
The AI Overview is just another example of why artificial intelligence is controversial and often results in public disapproval. Unnecessary at best and harmful at worst, Google’s AI Overview emphasizes the importance of proper research and multiple sources.