New research: Google's AI Overviews reinforce some conspiracy theories
Imagine overhearing on a bus that the city council plans to implement new restrictions under an urban planning program called "15-minute cities." Curious, you search the term on Google.
A new study published in Media International Australia reveals that Google's AI-generated search summaries, known as AI Overviews, may inadvertently reinforce conspiracy theories. Researchers focused on two conspiracy theories: chemtrails and 15-minute cities. Chemtrails, a conspiracy theory dating back to the 1990s, posits that aircraft condensation trails contain harmful substances.
The study found that Google's AI Overviews occasionally gave visibility to these conspiracy beliefs. Conversely, for the lesser-known 15-minute cities conspiracy theory, which emerged in recent years, the AI Overviews actively promoted conspiracy beliefs, even while debunking the conspiracy in some instances. Only 12.5% of the AI Overviews analyzed presented the false claims as one side in a legitimate debate.
The study also noted that AI Overviews that included potentially pro-conspiracy words, such as "15 minute city segregation," returned different AI summaries compared to queries without such words. While some AI Overviews debunked conspiracy beliefs, the debunking was often cursory, merely stating that conspiracy theories are "misinformation."
The study suggests that stronger measures are needed to prevent the spread of dangerous conspiracy theories through AI-generated search summaries.
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- Google’s AI overviews reinforce some conspiracy theories – new research theconversation.com
