In future, you will be able to set preferred sources on Google
New features in Google's search engine should make reputable sources of information more visible. This could counteract AI slop. The tech giant also wants to enter into more partnerships with website operators.
Google wants to introduce a new personalisation function for searches called «Preferred Sources». In future, users will be able to define preferred websites that will appear with a higher weighting for suitable queries. According to Google, around 90,000 different domains were marked as preferred sources in initial tests. Clicks on these links increased significantly on average. The function will initially be launched in English and will gradually be rolled out in other languages in 2026.
Source: Google
Google also highlights content from subscriptions in a separate carousel. This feature will first appear in the Gemini app and will then be transferred to AI Overviews and AI Mode. In AI Mode, Google wants to display more sources directly in the result in future and briefly explain why they are relevant to the answer.
These measures are intended to increase the visibility of serious content compared to so-called AI slop. AI-generated rubbish is increasingly becoming a problem. Although it is optimised for search engines, its content is often completely worthless. Finding reliable information is therefore becoming more and more like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Action against self-destruction
The second presumed reason for the innovations: They could counteract the impending extinction of the open internet - and thus also safeguard Google's business model: According to studies, AI Overviews lead to decreasing traffic on websites. For publishers, this means lower advertising revenue. If there are no financial incentives, it will no longer be worthwhile for suppliers to operate websites. This would gradually dry up the sources from which AI models obtain their information. In the end, Google bites the hand that feeds it.
Source: Google
This is probably also one of the reasons why Google wants to enter into more commercial partnerships with media companies and platforms. The company pays for usage rights and for technical provision via interfaces. According to Google, it already has several thousand partnerships with publishers worldwide. Pilot programmes are to investigate how AI-generated overviews, audio briefings or link-rich summaries can improve reader guidance.
The EU Commission recently launched an investigation into this topic. It is investigating whether AI overviews harm competition and whether opt-out or remuneration mechanisms are sufficient.
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