Google has begun rolling out an updated, AI-driven search experience that is causing issues with some definitions. Searching for terms like “disregard,” “stop,” or “ignore” now yields an AI Overview, accompanied by blank space, rather than the usual definition snippets.
When these terms are searched, users may now see links to articles discussing the issue before returning to the standard list of links.
In Incognito Mode, Google displayed a correct definition snippet on one occasion but reverted back to the AI Overview response on another attempt.
Despite the incorrect results, links to online dictionaries appear underneath the AI Overview. However, users must scroll past the AI results or a grid of articles to find them.
Engadget reached out to Google for clarification. A spokesperson stated that the company is aware of the issue, noting, “We’re aware that AI Overviews are misinterpreting some action-related queries, and we’re working on a fix, which will roll out soon.” The spokesperson confirmed a fix is forthcoming.
This transition from automatically displaying definitions to the AI Overview illustrates Google’s shift from being a referrer of other websites to acting as a comprehensive AI assistant.
