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 survey from an SEO company.

The data, collected by BrightEdge and reported connected by Search Engine Land, 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 the motorboat of AI Overviews in May, Google has had to marque changes to code bizarre results similar recommending that you enactment glue connected pizza (which appears to person been pulled from a Reddit thread) and suggesting that you eat rocks (seemingly pulled from an nonfiction successful The Onion). In response, Google defended AI Overviews but said it had implemented adjustments, specified arsenic limiting the usage of user-generated contented successful AI Overviews and adding amended tools to observe nonsensical queries that shouldn’t get AI Overviews.

Google spokesperson Ashley Thompson tells The Verge that the findings “do not bespeak what we’ve seen” and criticized the study’s methodology. Thompson besides says BrightEdge’s survey appears to premix users who person opted into “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 volition 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 the results page, and they proceed to amusement for a ample fig of searches,” Thompson says. “As we’ve shared, we’re continuing to refine erstwhile and however we amusement AI Overviews truthful they’re arsenic utile arsenic possible, including a fig of caller method updates to amended effect quality.”

AI Overviews are an important inaugural for Google. If radical don’t similar oregon spot them, they mightiness crook to products from competitors similar Microsoft, OpenAI, and Perplexity instead, which could beryllium a large nonaccomplishment for the hunt engine. Google is bullish connected AI Overviews — CEO Sundar Pichai said that radical “are responding precise positively to AI Overviews” successful a May interrogation with editor-in-chief Nilay Patel — but the institution is inactive doing immoderate fine-tuning.