Dan Gillmor18h ago

Google's profound contempt for journalists is on display as it rewrites publications' headlines in search results, sometimes altering the meaning and intent of the original. https://www.theverge.com/tech/896490/google-replace-news-headlines-in-search-canary-coal-mine-experiment

The company calls it an "experiment" -- as if that makes it OK.

Google Search is now using AI to replace headlines

Google is beginning to replace news headlines in its search results with ones that are AI-generated. After AI clickbait nonsense in its Google Discover news feed, it’s starting to mess with headlines in the “10 blue links” too.

The Verge
Show threadJohn de Largentaye

@dangillmor headline writers have already demonstrated maximum contempt for journalists.

I won’t mind if Google can provide a more accurate summary than the click- and rage-bait headlines that publications favor these days.

3:14amWeb
Show threadDan Gillmor15h ago
@jlargentaye I'm sorry to say you're right about that.
Show threadzetabeta14h ago
@jlargentaye @dangillmor
point is not to defend clickbait or rage-bait. but alphabet inc may put those baits into extreme with a.i. generated garbage.
Show threadAndres12h ago
@jlargentaye @dangillmor Yeah, I was going to make a very similar comment. 🫤
Show threadkillick11h ago

@Andres4NY @jlargentaye @dangillmor

There's no call to suppose Google has any reason to make headlines _less_ rage-baity.

Show threadDuncan Bayne11h ago

@jlargentaye @dangillmor I saw a headline here today that read "Albo REFUSES to rule out $4 / L petrol".

What Australian politician would make *any* promises about fuel pricing right now?

It's just so obviously rage- / click-bait trash.

Agreed that it's ethically wrong for Google to re-write headlines they're linking to, but not necessarily because they'd be *worse*.