Google is revamping its search algorithm to include snippets from web forums and user subscriptions, aiming to provide a wider range of perspectives. This could make searches more nuanced but might also introduce chaos.

Two years ago, Google’s AI Overviews were overhauled, often citing questionable sources like The Onion for advice on eating rocks. While improvements have been made, the success rate is still not perfect: according to a New York Times analysis, Google's AI gets it right about 90% of the time.

For many searches, users are increasingly looking for opinions and advice from online communities. This update aims to provide more context by including names, handles or community names associated with these discussions. However, this could blur the lines between AI-generated insights and regular search results, leading to confusion over whether you're getting accurate information.

The new feature is part of Google’s ongoing effort to make its AI more human-like. By incorporating diverse viewpoints from web forums, it might help users find the most helpful insights. But with the risk of hallucination still present in any large language model (LLM), double-checking the validity of these citations remains crucial.