Google AI Overview’s disastrous US launch

Luke Meredith

If Google told you to jump off a bridge, would you do it?

If your answer to that question is ‘yes’, and you are based in the United States, you might want to stay off Google for a little while.
This is due to the introduction of Google’s latest AI feature, AI Overview. The new feature is designed to provide instant answers to search queries based on sources from across the internet, but its launch hasn’t been particularly smooth as of yet.

Since being introduced last week, many Google users have found AI Overviews to provide answers to queries that are not only false and misleading, but in some cases extremely dangerous if taken literally.

One user asked Google if you could use gasoline to cook spaghetti – here’s how AI Overviews responded:

pic.twitter.com/z5WJniedo3

— John D. Cook (@JohnDCook) May 24, 2024

Another user asked Google to provide a list of names for fruits that end in the letters ‘um’:

https://t.co/6AC4XSpkWU pic.twitter.com/4xsneNmLW3

— 97 year old diner (@NUK3SHOCKWAV3) May 22, 2024

Finally, in one of the more realistically dangerous examples, here’s how Google’s new feature responded to the query “smoking while pregnant”:

oh google is like BROKEN broken pic.twitter.com/raxjpOWiOr

— flori robin 🏳️‍⚧️ (@floriyrobin) May 24, 2024

Now, it’s well known that misinformation is rife in many areas of the internet. Usually, however, you would have to stumble upon these sources of misinformation – whether that be through social media or online forums, for example. It’s likely that websites of this nature are influencing Google’s AI as it creates these results.

With the above examples, Google has inadvertently provided searchers with completely false information, advice and answers, and placed them at the top of its results page, giving users the impression that these are the most concise and reliable answers.

So far, Google is yet to alter or remove the new feature, which is currently only available in the United States. While a full worldwide launch was likely, these issues may slow down the company’s plans.

At Engage Web, we want your website to be the first result Google shows when a user searches something relevant to your business. To discover how we can help your search engine optimisation (SEO) goals, speak to us today.

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Luke Meredith

Content Editor at Engage Web

At home in both the digital sector and the world of communications, Luke thrives on deadlines and has held roles in healthcare, retail and digital marketing, gaining a sound knowledge of a wide range of sectors. He’s a massive swot as well, holding a first-class degree in BA Communication and Media, and now uses his writing skills and keen editorial eye in his role as Content Editor here. Luke helps to oversee our clients’ content requirements, while also looking after a pool of freelance writers across three continents.

Google AI Overview’s disastrous US launch