AI-generated news condensations are being trialed by Google Discover
In a groundbreaking development, Google has introduced AI-generated news summaries in its Discover feed, revolutionising the way people consume news on Android and iOS devices. This feature, designed to streamline content consumption, presents brief, AI-crafted previews of trending lifestyle topics such as sports and entertainment[1][2][3].
Each summary card displays multiple publisher logos, indicating the various sources contributing to the overview. Initially, users see a shortened preview of the summary, but they can tap "see more" to expand it and view all the contributing articles[1][2]. Each summary carries a disclaimer warning that it was generated by AI and may contain errors[1][2][3].
The goal of this feature is to help users quickly assess information and decide which articles they want to visit, without needing to click through all sources. However, early indications suggest the opposite may occur: many users may rely solely on these AI-generated summaries instead of visiting original articles, potentially reducing publisher website traffic[1][3]. Some estimates suggest up to 64% of search results with AI summaries do not lead to clicks on the original sources, exacerbating existing challenges for news publishers already experiencing traffic declines linked to AI-driven search features[1][3].
Beyond user convenience, Google’s AI summaries in Discover have broader implications for information consumption and governance. By prioritising AI-curated content excerpts, the feature shifts how people access and value information, raising challenges around content integrity, transparency, and digital security[4]. This trend represents a significant evolution in the digital information lifecycle, requiring new strategies in information governance, legal discovery, and cybersecurity to address the risks of AI-produced content being incomplete, biased, or erroneous[4].
Meanwhile, Microsoft's Bing has been offering AI-generated search summaries for over a year, but they are reactive, requiring user initiation. In contrast, Google's Discover summaries are proactive, summarising articles based on what the AI thinks users want to see before they even open them[3]. These summaries are pulled from multiple articles to give users a short, AI-written overview[3]. Unlike featured snippets, the AI summaries highlight multiple sources rather than a single one[3]. Tapping the summaries provides a list of articles used to generate the overview[3].
The AI summaries blend multiple outlets, marked by overlapping icons in the corner of the card[3]. The feature first appeared for video content in June and now includes articles[3]. The new "Save" icon has been added between the heart and the three-dot menu for streamlined bookmarking[3]. By default, the summaries show three lines, with the option to "See more" for a longer AI-written recap[3].
In essence, Google's AI-generated summaries are reshaping how people consume information, not just how they search, but also how they passively absorb. This development signals a transformative shift in how news is consumed and curated, with important implications for publishers, users, and the broader digital information ecosystem.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is responsible for generating the news summaries in Google's Discover feed, and these AI-crafted previews are also used in Microsoft's Bing search summaries. Despite their proactive nature, these AI-generated summaries may lead to decreased traffic on publisher websites as users rely more on them, potentially impacting the digital information ecosystem significantly.
