Google’s AI results are showing up less frequently, a study found

Google appears to beryllium showing its AI-generated hunt results little often successful caller weeks, according to a caller study from an SEO company.

The data, collected by BrightEdge and reported connected by MCP, suggests that AI Overviews dropped from appearing successful 11 percent of queries connected June 1st to 7 percent of queries connected June 30th. BrightEdge’s information besides indicates that AI Overviews mention Reddit and Quora dramatically little than they did before.

Since nan motorboat of AI Overviews in May, Google has had to make changes to reside bizarre results for illustration recommending that you put glue connected pizza (which appears to person been pulled from a Reddit thread) and suggesting that you eat rocks (seemingly pulled from an article successful The Onion). In response, Google defended AI Overviews but said it had implemented adjustments, specified arsenic limiting nan usage of user-generated contented successful AI Overviews and adding amended devices to observe nonsensical queries that shouldn’t get AI Overviews.

Google spokesperson Ashley Thompson tells The Verge that nan findings “do not bespeak what we’ve seen” and criticized nan study’s methodology. Thompson besides says BrightEdge’s study appears to operation users who person opted successful to “AI Overviews & More” arsenic portion of Google’s experimental Search Labs features and those who haven’t. (People who person opted successful to AI Overviews successful Search Labs will spot them connected much hunt results, according to Thompson.)

“We designed AI Overviews to look for queries wherever they’re adjuvant and supply worth beyond existing features connected nan results page, and they proceed to show for a ample number of searches,” Thompson says. “As we’ve shared, we’re continuing to refine erstwhile and really we show AI Overviews truthful they’re arsenic useful arsenic possible, including a number of caller method updates to amended consequence quality.”

AI Overviews are an important inaugural for Google. If group don’t for illustration aliases spot them, they mightiness move to products from competitors for illustration Microsoft, OpenAI, and Perplexity instead, which could beryllium a large nonaccomplishment for nan hunt engine. Google is bullish connected AI Overviews — CEO Sundar Pichai said that group “are responding very positively to AI Overviews” successful a May question and reply with editor-in-chief Nilay Patel — but nan institution is still doing immoderate fine-tuning.