Artificial Intelligence (AI) has long been embedded in how modern search engines operate. From predicting your search query to delivering relevant results and suggesting related topics to explore, AI is central to this efficient — and largely effective — functionality.

The ability of AI-driven systems to learn and improve without constant human oversight has made them indispensable to search engines. The world’s most popular search engine, Google, is no exception to leveraging AI, and it now heavily relies on a relatively new AI-backed feature “AI Overviews,” which is given precedence in its search results pages.

AI Overviews in Google

In May, Google introduced AI Overviews in the U.S. and expanded the feature to the U.K., India, Japan, Indonesia, Mexico, and Brazil by August. Recently, in late October, the feature became available in Nigeria, South Africa, Canada, and over 90 other countries, boosting the total number of users to over 1 billion globally, according to Google.

If you’re unfamiliar with Google’s Overview, it’s a snapshot of summarised information (with relevant links) displayed at the top of search results whenever you make a query. Instead of solely relying on traditional ranked website links, Google now prioritises AI-generated responses that draw information from top-ranking websites — an approach the company calls “an easier way for people to find the information they need.”

Despite the “good intentions” behind this feature, it has understandably created two groups of concerned users. Optimists like Josh Rander of Tom’s Guide view it as a shortcut to faster access to information and fewer ads. On the other hand, more conservative users like Techradar’s Lance Ulanoff, worry about relying solely on AI-generated information which could disrupt the long-standing tradition of prioritising human-authored content in favor of a method that may not be entirely trustworthy.

These concerns are understandable, given AI Overviews’ rocky launch in May, when it occasionally provided incorrect and even unsafe advice, such as suggesting that users put glue on pizza. 

However, it has been six months since those incidents, and the admission of errors and assurances of improved functionality from Google’s VP and Head of Search, Liz Reid.

If this still doesn’t ease your concerns, you can always scroll past the overview or, better yet, disable AI Overview in Google search.

Watch how here: