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Google will start showing AI-powered search results to users who didn't opt in (www.engadget.com)

submitted 9 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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If you're in the US, you might see a new shaded section at the top of your Google Search results with a summary answering your inquiry, along with links for more information. That section, generated by Google's generative AI technology, used to appear only if you've opted into the Search Generative Experience(SGE) in the Search Labs platform. Now, according to Search Engine Land, Google has started adding the experience on a "subset of queries, on a small percentage of search traffic in the US." And that is why you could be getting Google's experimental AI-generated section even if you haven't switched it on.

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[–] [email protected] 32 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

This may actually be a net improvement to the Google Search experience, since the engine is borderline unusable without uBlock Origin. But also it feels weird that Google would make an AI generated prompt the focal point and not the entire rows of sponsored ads that litter all search results.

How did the big tech industry get this terminally stupid?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (2 children)

...the engine is borderline unusable without uBlock Origin.

~~Chris~~, would you elaborate more on this experience?

Update: Who's Chris? Curse you, speech to text.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I'm not Chris, but it's all the dang "sponsored" search results that populate when googling without using uBlock Origin.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Ive used UBO so long I forget regulwr people see a diffeent internet. Google results are still suffering.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

This is exactly my case. Ads on apps as well. I completely forget that people have to see all that constantly.

I wonder how much real estate that sponsored content takes. Then again, not enough to visit google and turn off UBO.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Update: Who’s Chris? Curse you, speech to text.

Speech to text has gotten me into trouble so many times, it's actually comical at this point.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago

😁 Me too. This was rare for me. FUTO with offline STT has been such a boon. I'm glad to be away from google's gboard.