Despite its popularity, AI Overviews has faced criticism for providing unreliable information and questionable advice. Google has made adjustments to limit answers on current events and health topics but acknowledges the feature isn't perfect. The feature has increased engagement among users aged 18 to 24, a key demographic for Google. Recently, Google added ads to AI Overviews on mobile, which has raised concerns among publishers about traffic impact. The feature is also a focus in the Justice Department's antitrust lawsuit against Google, which demands that sites be allowed to opt out of AI Overviews without penalty in search results.
Key takeaways:
- Google's AI Overviews will soon handle more complex topics and multimodal, multi-step searches, powered by the new Gemini 2.0 model.
- The feature has been controversial due to unreliable sources and questionable advice, leading Google to limit answers on current events and health topics.
- AI Overviews has increased Search engagement, especially among users aged 18 to 24, and Google is monetizing it by adding ads for certain queries.
- The Justice Department's antitrust lawsuit against Google targets AI Overviews, seeking to allow sites to opt out without penalty in search results.