Google has seriously leaned into AI enshittification lately
The Register ● Covered by 2 sources
Google announced at I/O that it is expanding AI features in search, including AI Overviews for more queries and a separate AI Mode, while also introducing ads directly into AI-generated results through both in-line sponsored links and conversational discovery ads that recommend products. The company is also adding long-running AI tasks through Gemini Spark and allowing checkout directly within Gemini without visiting retailers' websites. Critics argue these changes trap users on Google's platform, obscure trustworthy sources behind AI summaries and citation chips, inject advertising into ostensibly factual results, and divert web traffic from publishers, representing a deterioration of search quality driven by commercial interests rather than user needs.
Why it matters
Could the Chocolate Factory's mission to reshape the web backfire?
