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Recently, Google has faced criticism for errors in results generated by its artificial intelligence in searches, which included suggestions as absurd as using glue on pizza. The company has responded quickly to correct these failures (AI Overviews) and ensures that these improvements have increased user satisfaction with the service.
Last week, Google rolled out its AI search results feature to millions of users, aiming to optimize the search experience. However, this innovation brought unusual and erroneous results. Among the most notable, the AI suggested applying glue to the pizza so that the cheese adheres better and consuming stones. Given the rapid spread of these results, Google quickly intervened to eliminate the inaccurate suggestions, called “AI Overviews.”although the incident had already gained notoriety on social networks.
Google’s head of search explained that these problems are due to both data gaps and strange questions created by users.
…AI Overviews do not create false information out of thin air (“they do not hallucinate”), but rather they sometimes incorrectly interpret the information available on the web. “There’s nothing like having millions of people using the feature with completely new searches.”
Liz Reid, head of Google search
Part of Reid’s focus was on comparing AI Overviews to another Google search feature known as “featured snippets,” which extract information from relevant web pages without using generative AI. According to Reid, the accuracy rate of both services is comparable.
To avoid future errors, Google has limited the appearance of AI Overviews to queries it considers “nonsensical” or satirical, given that satire sites like The Onion and Reddit users had not been properly filtered in the first place..
Google must not only constantly improve these technologies, but also maintain user trust, which has been affected by these slip-ups. At the same time, Google competes with OpenAI and AI search startups like Perplexity, already valued at nearly $3 billion.
As Google refines its AI technology for search results, it is critical that it continues to respond quickly to errors so as not to lose the trust of its users.
Do you think the measures taken by Google are enough to restore the credibility of its search services?
