Google Tests AI Search on Its Homepage

Google's stalwart search button has a new neighbor: AI Mode. From a report: The artificial intelligence feature is being tested directly beneath the Google search bar beside a "Google Search" button, replacing the "I'm Feeling Lucky" widget. The new feature, though not widely available yet, is being tested in a location where Google rarely makes changes.

Meaningless PR

[Mr. Dollar Ton]

At this point in time the two letters "AI" in front of a piece about a product signify only one thing - as evidenced by the brief, meaningless summary - dumb marketing drivel.

And no, I'm not clicking your bait.

Re:

[ndsurvivor]

Google has been giving me AI answers before search results for about a year now. I am skeptical, however, I find the AI answers very informative. I only use google for things like: "are tomatoes healthy?", and simple things. Some recipes. Sometimes things like: "why is thee sky blue". Nothing that they can track me on, try not to, sometimes I slip up. The AI does pretty good, and they give links below that I find credible, and supports the AI's assertions.

Re:

[Mr. Dollar Ton]

My experience is the opposite, the results have been less and less relevant for years - ever since google started sprinkling advertising in-between them - and now it has gotten to the point that the relevant stuff is sprinkled on page 6 or 7 among chaff.

Even looking up shit on wikipedia and following the references is now way better, plus it usually has correct translation to a number of languages and at times real nuggets in the "wikipedian" discussions and histories.

And all of that - look, ma - with no "A

Re:

[XXongo]

I am skeptical, however, I find the AI answers very informative....

My experience is the opposite, the results have been less and less relevant for years -

My experience is both.

Search results have indeed been getting worse. I particularly am annoyed by searches in which my search term is not present on the page in the results.

However, although I make a habit of NOT relying on the "AI" summary, I have noticed that, in general, the "AI" summary accurately reflects the information in the pages.

I still don't trust it, though, and I want the original source, not the digested version.

Re:

[Mr. Dollar Ton]

I haven't used google for a few years now, so I have no idea how good or bad the AI part is. If it only summarizes the search results, I guess it should be doing a reasonable job of it. But as you say - which confirms my opinion - that still doesn't change the problem of what pops in the results in the first place.

Re:

[Mr. Dollar Ton]

I think you're way off here, the people who comment on slashdot were three year olds when ketchup was still a vegetable.

You missed it! Google Tests "Enshittiti Mode"

[Gravis Zero]

I'm so glad Slashdot has reported on such a great experiment but I feel like they have missed the real story from a week ago.

Now Google is offering a shit-on-a-stick option known as "Enshittiti Mode" for searches. Just type in your search and click, "I'm feeling shitty" and you'll get the ultimate enshitified results. The results are completely irrelevant to whatever you wanted to find and their AI offers new and more inane answers about questions you never asked. The links of course all lead to paid links with half of them offering malicious downloads because nothing should come before profit.

Why wait for result quality to degrade slowly when you can push enshitification to enshittiti?

Google?

[commodore73]

Google still has a search engine? Who cares.