Tl;
- A US-based ED-Tech company is suing Google, claiming that its AI-generated search reviews (AI overview) damage companies and users.
- The lawsuit argues that Google’s AI reviews unfairly catch traffic that traditionally went to publishers and can lead to a “hollowed-out information ecosystem.”
- Google defends the feature and says that AI overviews help users find information easier and drive traffic to a wider range of websites.
Chegg, a US-based ED-Tech company, is suing Google, claiming that the technology giant’s AI-driven previews of search damage business and reduce traffic online.
Google introduced AI overviews On search last year. These AI-generated summaries are displayed at the top of the search results and give users an overview of information, and often prevent them from clicking on other websites. As a result, publishers, including Chegg, see a fall in web traffic, as users get the information they need directly from Google’s search page.
In a statementChegg’s CEO, Nathan Schultz, said, “We initiate a strategic review process and have submitted a complaint against Google, which unfairly has caught traffic that traditionally came to Chegg, and influenced our user collection, revenue and workforce.” He also emphasized that Google’s AI overviews could have a negative impact on the entire online media publishing industry and the future of online searches.
Chegg warned that this could lead to a “hollowed -out information ecosystem” that is unreliable and “unworthy confidence.”
In response, Google dismissed the claims as baseless. Told a spokesperson for the company Reuters“With AI overviews, people find searches more useful and use it more, creating new opportunities for content discovery. Every day, Google Billions of Clicks run to websites across the web, and AI overviews help traffic reach an even larger range of websites. “
Are Google’s AI overviews reliable?
Although Google’s AI overviews had a rocky start With weird and sometimes misleading results, they have become remarkably accurate over time. These AI summaries are useful when you need information quickly and do not have time to filter through multiple websites. However, this is probably why publishers see a decrease in traffic, as users often do not click through to the original sources of the information discussed in AI overviews.
Although AI overviews may be convenient for quick information, it is important not to trust them without questions. Because the function condenses information by design, you may end up missing out important context or details for the search. To ensure that you get the entire image and to double check the accuracy of the information, you should always click on the source couplings in the AI overview. These clickable links refer you to the original website, where you can access the complete information.