Google’s AI search results are already getting ads
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Google’s AI search results are already getting ads
https://www.theverge.com/2024/5/21/24161724/google-ai-search-results-ads-test
Ads everywhere.
LLMs can't even distinguish properly between a fruit with green flesh and red skin vs. green skin and red flesh, and you expect them to distinguish between ads and content?
My guess is that the ads in question are not the ones that Google wants, but rather LLMO (like SEO cancer, except for LLM results).
But yes, if someone paid Google enough, their ad "magically" becomes content, no disagreement.
Read the article, the ads are part of Google programmes/partnerships with advertisers and are meant to present buyable products that are supposedly relevant to the user's query.
I read the article. My point is that the ads won't be just the ones that the article describes, and clearly separated from the content; eventually they'll become part of the content.
Looks like a separate element that comes after the LLM summary which can be removed by ad blockers. That is, if you're still using Google search...
That is, if you’re still using Google search…
What's a viable alternative? Bing seems to be just as rah rah AI as Google, DDG gives me oranges if I search for apples... if there is an actually useful search engine out there that isn't actively in the process of becoming enshittified, I would absolutely love to know.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Google only just rolled out AI summaries in search results — and now they’re getting ads.
In an update on Tuesday, Google says it will soon start testing search and shopping ads within AI Overviews for users in the US.
In the example shared by Google, the search engine’s AI overview lists a response to the question: “how do I get wrinkles out of clothes?” Beneath the AI-generated suggestions, there’s a new “Sponsored” section with a carousel showing wrinkle spray you can buy from places like Walmart and Instacart.
Google says it will display ads in AI Overviews when “they’re relevant to both the query and the information in the AI Overview.” Advertisers that already run certain campaigns through Google will automatically become eligible to appear in AI Overviews.
“As we move forward, we’ll continue to test and learn new formats, getting feedback from advertisers and the industry,” Google writes.
There aren’t any details on when exactly Google will start testing ads in AI Overviews, but it kind of defeats the purpose of using AI to get a quick summary of what you’re looking for.
The original article contains 198 words, the summary contains 185 words. Saved 7%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!