Google and its massive reliance on AI are rubbing people the wrong way. In case you didn’t know, the current rollout called AI Overviews getting included in the search and even featuring ads is not getting much love from the masses.
Regarding this, the VP for Google’s Advertising sat down with MarketingBrew for a recent interview where Shashi Thakur was questioned about what the chances of a user clicking on links found across AI Overviews were. He was further asked to be more transparent and share stats but he very clearly dodged all such requests, leaving readers wanting more.
Thakur added how he does see it happening but as far as the stats are concerned, he’s got nothing to share at this moment in time and that was just disappointing.
Google is already in a very heated position as people cannot help but talk about the poor quality of search and then brands and publishers getting worried about not attaining the right kind of traffic. But Google is at the forefront, trying to be very diplomatic in its replies on this front.
It wants to make the most of PR relations and focus more on the concept that users cannot get enough of AI-powered replies, even the truth is far from that. But it just feels so wrong and fake, not to mention the inauthenticity factor is so huge.
It’s now come to a point where it’s wearing thin and people want proof.
When questioned about the growing issues that publishers were having linked to websites getting fewer clicks across Search results, his reply was far from what many wished to hear.
Instead of addressing the matter professionally and admitting that yes it would affect the company’s ad business, he just danced around a few words that sounded pretty but meant nothing. It’s a tactic that other leaders at Google have been using for a while now.
He added how links would be included inside the reply generated by AI. It would not be only chunks of text and then links would be embedded inside a certain ad. Further mention of a diverse array of publishers was also outlined.
When they are amalgamated, there’s plenty of healthy content and user interests taking place. It’s not only taking in AI replies but is designed to ensure greater understanding. Again, he spoke about adding more diversity to clicks inside these replies.
But the response was very scattered and didn’t exactly make sense. When questioned about the ads found on the publisher’s website, again, he beat around the bushes and went back to AI Overviews which are not Display Ads.
Did we mention how publishers today are not keen on the diversity of the clicks they’re attaining? It’s all about traffic and how to make money from it. So with more visibility, they’re going to get more traffic and more revenue. How hard is that to understand.
Another point worth a mention was how Thakur unexpectedly babbled on about Commercial Clicks despite no one going in that direction. He kept reiterating how much users adore AI replies and simply wished to get back for more.
Image: DIW-Aigen
Read next: Frustrated with Google's AI Overview in Search Results? Here’s How to Disable It With A Chrome Hack on PC
Regarding this, the VP for Google’s Advertising sat down with MarketingBrew for a recent interview where Shashi Thakur was questioned about what the chances of a user clicking on links found across AI Overviews were. He was further asked to be more transparent and share stats but he very clearly dodged all such requests, leaving readers wanting more.
Thakur added how he does see it happening but as far as the stats are concerned, he’s got nothing to share at this moment in time and that was just disappointing.
Google is already in a very heated position as people cannot help but talk about the poor quality of search and then brands and publishers getting worried about not attaining the right kind of traffic. But Google is at the forefront, trying to be very diplomatic in its replies on this front.
It wants to make the most of PR relations and focus more on the concept that users cannot get enough of AI-powered replies, even the truth is far from that. But it just feels so wrong and fake, not to mention the inauthenticity factor is so huge.
It’s now come to a point where it’s wearing thin and people want proof.
When questioned about the growing issues that publishers were having linked to websites getting fewer clicks across Search results, his reply was far from what many wished to hear.
Instead of addressing the matter professionally and admitting that yes it would affect the company’s ad business, he just danced around a few words that sounded pretty but meant nothing. It’s a tactic that other leaders at Google have been using for a while now.
He added how links would be included inside the reply generated by AI. It would not be only chunks of text and then links would be embedded inside a certain ad. Further mention of a diverse array of publishers was also outlined.
When they are amalgamated, there’s plenty of healthy content and user interests taking place. It’s not only taking in AI replies but is designed to ensure greater understanding. Again, he spoke about adding more diversity to clicks inside these replies.
But the response was very scattered and didn’t exactly make sense. When questioned about the ads found on the publisher’s website, again, he beat around the bushes and went back to AI Overviews which are not Display Ads.
Did we mention how publishers today are not keen on the diversity of the clicks they’re attaining? It’s all about traffic and how to make money from it. So with more visibility, they’re going to get more traffic and more revenue. How hard is that to understand.
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Another point worth a mention was how Thakur unexpectedly babbled on about Commercial Clicks despite no one going in that direction. He kept reiterating how much users adore AI replies and simply wished to get back for more.
Read next: Frustrated with Google's AI Overview in Search Results? Here’s How to Disable It With A Chrome Hack on PC
