Google is rolling out AI-generated summaries directly within Discover, its personalized news feed nestled within the Google Search app. TechCrunch reports that some users in the US are seeing Discover cards on iOS and Android that provide the new summaries in place of a headline and logo from a single publisher, similar to how AI Overviews appear at the top of results in Search. It acts to further obscure news sources at a time when search traffic to publishers is disappearing.
The AI summaries in Discover display overlapping icons in the top-left corner, indicating the number of cited stories. Tapping the icons reveals a “More” sheet with all the contributing articles. Users get a quick three-line preview before needing to tap “See more” to expand the summary. A prominent warning is displayed underneath the text disclosing that the summaries are generated with AI, “which can make mistakes.”
This feature appears to have been in development for a while. Google bug hunter AndellDam found that trending cards with AI Overview-like summaries were being tested on Google Discover in June. A Google spokesperson confirmed to TechCrunch that this is not a test, but a US launch on iOS and Android. Google told the publication that the feature will focus on trending lifestyle topics like sports and entertainment, and aims to make it easier for people to decide what pages they want to visit.
This is the latest of several AI features Google has been toying with that discourage users from clicking on web links, following AI Overviews, Audio Overviews, and AI Mode being tested in Search. This is cause for concern across the publishing industry, which has seen a dramatic fall in website traffic and referrals now that AI is pulling information out of articles and negating the need for readers to click through to original sources. That loss of traffic and revenue from Google Zero has already contributed to killing sites like AnandTech, Giant Freakin Robot, Laptop Mag, and Buzzfeed News — reducing the pool that Google can feed to its AI.
