Technology

60123 readers

2776 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.

Our Rules

Follow the lemmy.world rules.
Only tech related content.
Be excellent to each another!
Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
Politics threads may be removed.
No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
Only approved bots from the list below, to ask if your bot can be added please contact us.
Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed

Approved Bots

founded 2 years ago

MODERATORS

345

Google will start showing AI-powered search results to users who didn't opt in (www.engadget.com)

submitted 9 months ago by Stopthatgirl7@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world

70 comments fedilink hide all child comments

If you're in the US, you might see a new shaded section at the top of your Google Search results with a summary answering your inquiry, along with links for more information. That section, generated by Google's generative AI technology, used to appear only if you've opted into the Search Generative Experience(SGE) in the Search Labs platform. Now, according to Search Engine Land, Google has started adding the experience on a "subset of queries, on a small percentage of search traffic in the US." And that is why you could be getting Google's experimental AI-generated section even if you haven't switched it on.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] Clbull@lemmy.world 33 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

This may actually be a net improvement to the Google Search experience, since the engine is borderline unusable without uBlock Origin. But also it feels weird that Google would make an AI generated prompt the focal point and not the entire rows of sponsored ads that litter all search results.

How did the big tech industry get this terminally stupid?

[–] GlassHalfHopeful@lemmy.ca 7 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (2 children)

...the engine is borderline unusable without uBlock Origin.

~~Chris~~, would you elaborate more on this experience?

Update: Who's Chris? Curse you, speech to text.

[–] JimboDHimbo@lemmy.ca 11 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I'm not Chris, but it's all the dang "sponsored" search results that populate when googling without using uBlock Origin.

[–] dezmd@lemmy.world 6 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Ive used UBO so long I forget regulwr people see a diffeent internet. Google results are still suffering.

[–] GlassHalfHopeful@lemmy.ca 1 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

This is exactly my case. Ads on apps as well. I completely forget that people have to see all that constantly.

I wonder how much real estate that sponsored content takes. Then again, not enough to visit google and turn off UBO.

[–] CosmicCleric@lemmy.world 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Update: Who’s Chris? Curse you, speech to text.

Speech to text has gotten me into trouble so many times, it's actually comical at this point.

[–] GlassHalfHopeful@lemmy.ca 2 points 9 months ago

😁 Me too. This was rare for me. FUTO with offline STT has been such a boon. I'm glad to be away from google's gboard.