GoogleRecently launched its new Search Generated Experience (SGE), which introduced AI-generated search results on some pages. Unfortunately, this new feature seems to have had some issues, with reports that it may promote scam sites and push malware in the generated responses.
This is obviously a big problem for Google.AI SearchIt’s not a great start, especially considering that there have been many questions about the viability of Google’s AI, including Google’s reluctance to use its AI on the base Pixel 8.up to dateDespite these concerns, Google is pushing forward with its AI efforts, and it seems that the missed opportunities will never stop.
According to BleepingComputer,Google SearchThe results appear to recommend spammy and malicious websites in a variety of responses. This makes users more susceptible to being duped, especially if Google promotes it to a wider audience with different AI familiarity levels.
In BleepingComputer's report, they noticed that when they tried searching for puppies for sale, they were quickly met with AI-generated responses pointing to spammy websites that were likely riddled with malware. When any of these links were clicked, it appeared to redirect the user multiple times until they arrived at a scam site. Many of the sites appeared to be mimicking YouTube push notifications, trying to get users to allow these sites to notify them of something. BleedingComputer said that when they subscribed to one of the sites, they began receiving spam with ads for tech support scams, as well as fake giveaway pages claiming that the user had won something.
It's important to point out that I had Google's SGE feature enabled in Chrome when I was researching this article. However, all searches I entered showed an inability to generate any AI responses, so Google may be working on this issue. Still, it's disappointing to see this happen, and it speaks to the tech giant's ongoing struggles with dealing with spam and malware sites. If you want to learn more, I highly recommend reading BleepingComputer's in-depth analysis, as they provide a lot of first-hand experience that I was unable to replicate, as SGE did not provide any responses for me.
Joshua Hawkins has been writing about science, games, and tech culture for more than a decade.Highest, a commentator with a passion for helping people find answers to questions in tech and moreoptimalExtensive experience in trading.