Google's AI that told people to eat rocks goes global
Google is extending its AI Overviews feature, which provides concise answers to complex web queries, to six additional countries. The expansion includes India, Japan, Mexico, Indonesia, Brazil, and the United Kingdom. This move comes less than three months after the feature's rocky debut in the United States. The service will support both English and local languages in these new regions.
Google's AI overviews feature: A brief history
The AI Overviews feature was first introduced in the United States, where it faced some initial hiccups. It suggested users eat "at least one small rock per day" for digestive health.In another instance, AI Overviews recommended putting glue in pizza sauce to keep the cheese from sliding off. In response to these issues, Google implemented additional safeguards in May. These included restrictions on the types of queries that activated the feature and a reduction in satire or humor content.
Google's approach to language-specific testing
Hema Budaraju, Senior Director of Product Management for Search at Google, acknowledged the challenges of ensuring quality across different languages and integrating large language models (LLMs). To prevent similar issues in other languages like Hindi or Japanese, Google has conducted language-specific testing of AI Overviews. They have also employed red-teaming, a strategy used to evaluate how systems might react under potential threats from malicious entities.
AI overviews to display source links prominently
In a bid to increase transparency, Google will now prominently show links to sources on the right-hand side of each AI-generated answer. This change aims to make it easier for users to access the original website from where the answer was derived. For a select group of users, links will also be embedded directly within the text of AI Overviews.
Additional features for Search Labs users
Users who opt into Search Labs, Google's platform for testing upcoming features, will have access to additional functionalities. These include the ability to "save" a specific AI Overview for future reference and an option to simplify the language of an AI-generated answer. In India specifically, the feature will be available in English and Hindi languages in the coming weeks.
