You probably now know that Google has introduced a significant change to its search engine: the AI Overview feature.
This generative AI-powered system provides instant summaries of search results, helping users quickly understand complex topics in simple, plain language.
It has a quicker response time than other AI tools we use in healthcare tasks like ChatGPT.
The feature represents a major shift in how Google Search operates, and while it shows promise, especially for question-based queries, it has raised concerns – particularly when it comes to health content.
What is Google AI Overview?
Google AI Overview is an innovative feature that generates summaries of search results, offering a concise yet comprehensive overview of a given topic.
It is designed to help users digest information more quickly, drawing from Google’s global search index to present a mix of articles and resources.
By offering plain-language answers and citing relevant sources, it makes it easier for people to understand complex medical topics without needing to sift through lengthy articles.
This feature is especially effective for question-based searches, where users are looking for quick, direct answers.
For instance, if you search, “What should I do if I’m feeling depressed?” Google AI Overview will present an answer based on multiple sources in a condensed format.
While the feature is promising, it has sparked significant debate, particularly among content creators and website owners.
Many feel that Google is turning into a one-stop shop for answers by using their content to generate overviews without sending traffic back to their sites.
The AI system pulls data from Google’s vast index, meaning that content creators are potentially missing out on valuable traffic and exposure.
The health content issue
When it comes to health-related queries, the stakes are much higher.
Inaccurate, outdated, or misleading information could have dire consequences.
Unfortunately, Google AI Overviews have not been free from failures, particularly in health topics.
Some of the most concerning issues that have been raised, as highlighted by Neil Patel, include:
- Inaccurate answers: AI Overviews sometimes provide incorrect answers or AI hallucinations that could lead users to misunderstand important health conditions or treatments.
- Inappropriate content: Dangerous advice or harmful recommendations have been seen in health-related summaries, potentially putting users at risk.
- Misinterpretation of satirical content: The AI system struggles to differentiate between serious information and satirical or humorous content. This leads to misinterpretations, especially when it pulls information from forums or less authoritative sources like Reddit or Quora.
- Outdated information: Google’s AI sometimes pulls from obsolete sources, presenting outdated theories or disproven information as if it were still valid. This is particularly concerning in fast-moving fields like healthcare.
- Irrelevant content: In some cases, the AI offers irrelevant responses that don’t match the user’s query, which can be frustrating and lead to confusion. Furthermore, speculative content may be included, giving a misleading impression of certainty.
These failures can have a ripple effect, not just causing reputational damage for brands but also potentially putting public health in jeopardy.
The technical challenges behind AI overviews
The root of these failures lies in how Google’s AI Overview system works. It uses a custom version of the Gemini language model (LLM), integrated with Google’s search infrastructure. This allows the AI to parse through Google’s vast index of web content and generate responses based on the sources it finds.
However, this approach has its limitations. One significant challenge is that the AI struggles with understanding humour, irony and sarcasm, which are common in online content.
As a result, it often misinterprets Reddit threads, satirical articles or jokes as factual information, leading to the inclusion of unreliable content in summaries.
Additionally, Google’s AI system is not perfect at distinguishing between authoritative sources and user-generated content. It sometimes draws heavily from forums like Reddit or Quora, which may not be the most reliable sources for health information.
Google’s response to the issues
Google is aware of the issues with its AI Overview feature, especially when it comes to health-related content.
The company is working on making several improvements:
- Enhanced detection of nonsensical queries: Google has worked to better identify and filter out irrelevant or nonsensical queries that don’t align with users’ search intentions.
- Reduced reliance on user-generated content: To improve the accuracy of its summaries, Google has minimized its dependence on user-driven content, focusing more on reliable, authoritative sources.
- Strengthened health-related topic guardrails: Google has implemented additional guardrails for health content, aiming to ensure that reliable, scientifically backed information is used in AI Overviews related to health topics.
- Contextual AI overview appearances: The company has also restricted the display of AI Overviews to contexts where they are most appropriate, limiting their use in highly technical or sensitive topics like health.
What lies ahead?
While these improvements are promising, the road to perfecting Google’s AI Overviews – especially for health content – is still long. Health information is incredibly sensitive, and even a small error can lead to serious consequences.
I haven’t personally noticed any errors when I’ve tested it out, but others have. Then there’s the issue of fake screenshots circulating, making it hard to know what was real.
The system will continue to evolve and improve based on constant feedback and testing. In the meantime, it’s essential to stay vigilant about the information being presented in AI Overviews.
