Google's AI Overviews Getting It Wrong

2 July 2024

cautionary clicks: why you should be wary of ai in search results

Have you heard of "AI Overviews"? You likely have. Google Search is seriously changing, with AI taking centre stage. But with this new feature, "AI Overviews" is raising some serious concerns about the accuracy and safety of this new tech.

AI Overviews are designed to provide concise summaries next to traditional search results. But they've been getting it so wrong a lot of the time.

No sense, just scary summaries.

They've offered dangerous health advice, promoted conspiracy theories, and even suggested consuming inedible objects! This raises serious questions about the quality of information being presented as fact.

Is AI-Generated content really all bad?

The problem goes further than AI Overviews

Search engines like Google and Bing are constantly evolving. It has been for a while, and AI plays a huge part in that.

Don't get us wrong. AI can be a powerful tool and you should be using it. Our team has been implementing AI into lots of our workflows since it was introduced. Just to name one, we use it to make time-consuming tasks more efficient, so we can use our head space and brain power where it's really needed.

But remember this. AI can only process the information it's fed. If the training data contains biases or inaccuracies, then it's going to spit out wrong information.

Think differently in the age of AI

So, how can you start using this technology in the right way? Here are some quick fire tips our SEO team has put together. But this is barely scratching the surface on how you can, and should, use AI in your SEO strategy. It shouldn't replace anything. It should be used to enhance your tasks.

don't take AI Overviews at face value.

Don't treat them as definitive answers. Instead:

use them as starting points and inspiration to your own creative juices going
check the answers it gives you.
triple-check with reliable sources.
challenge the information it throws out.

Remember, AI might be some of the latest tech out there, but it's not the smart person in the room.

Can we even define it as a person? No, we don't think so.

take AI-generated content with a huge pinch of salt.

There are so many signs of automation, like repetition and a lack of nuance. Your target audience should always be at the heart of what you're writing.

Otherwise, why are you writing? Your audience will have specific wants and pain points that you should actively target. So spot the 'state of the art' and 'ever-changing' industries and make sure your content talks to your ideal person.

develop your research skills.

Learn how to evaluate the credibility of websites and information sources. Back up your points. Include new, original research or include expert commentary. Link to external sources if you use them.

Provide feedback to search engines.

You can read up on how to report unsafe AI Overviews to Google. They can use these reports to help improve the system and work to only serve content that's helpful, and not misleading or dangerous at all. The future of search is likely to involve a close collaboration between humans and AI.

By staying informed and cautious, we can harness the power of AI to find the information we need while staying safe online.

Do you need help with your SEO strategy? Come and chat with us and we'll advise.