Plagiarism Engine: Google’s Content-Swiping AI Could Break the Internet
Google’s Content-Swiping AI Could Break the Internet, Threatening the Open Web and User Experience.
Google is testing a new search interface called the "Search Generative Experience" (SGE) that replaces expert human-generated content with an AI plagiarism engine. The SGE grabs facts and snippets of text from various websites, often word-for-word, and presents them as its own creation. Critics argue that if Google makes SGE the default search mode, it could seriously damage the open web, destroy user trust, and provide a poor user experience.
During a limited beta testing of SGE, Google's search results page displayed answers and advice from Google itself, taking up the entire first screen, pushing down organic search results. The SGE answer, combined with shopping links and other content, occupied a significant portion of the display, making it difficult for users to access the first actual search result.
Google claims to be experimenting with SGE and wants to highlight and drive attention to content from across the web.
However, critics argue that the related-link thumbnails displayed alongside the SGE answers are not always the best resources, and the practice may deter users from clicking them.
The SGE boxes often contain plagiarized content, sometimes directly quoting sentences from related links without proper attribution. Even when sources are cited, the lack of authority and trust raises concerns about the accuracy and reliability of the information presented.
By making SGE the default search experience, Google could drastically impact publishers, as their traffic and referrals from Google may decline. Small businesses relying on organic search placement would face challenges, and even hobbyists and contributors to forums may be discouraged from sharing their knowledge if their contributions are repurposed without proper recognition.
Critics argue that the deployment of SGE as the default search mode would result in a weaker, more siloed internet, where Google dominates and controls the majority of outbound clicks. The potential damage to the web information ecosystem could be irreparable.
Publishers and users have limited options to address the issue.
Publishers may demand that Google respects intellectual property and does not engage in actions that could harm the open web. Users can choose to scroll past SGE results and click on organic search results or switch to alternative search engines that provide better citation practices.
It remains to be seen whether Google will roll out SGE as the default search experience and the potential legal implications that may arise from its content-swiping AI.
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