A 16-year Google veteran is raising concerns about the company’s current focus on AI, calling it a “panic reaction” driven by fear of falling behind competitors.
Scott Jenson, who left Google last month, took to LinkedIn to criticize the tech giant’s AI projects as “unmotivated and driven by this mindless panic that as long as it had ‘AI’, it would be great.”
Veteran review of Google’s AI spotlight
jensen he stated that Google’s vision of building an AI assistant for its ecosystem is “pure catnip” fueled by fear of letting someone else get there first.
He parallels the ill-fated Google+ product, which he calls a “similar hysterical reaction” to the rise of Facebook.
Jenson wrote:
“This happened 13 years ago with Google+ (I was there for that fiasco too). It was a similar hysterical reaction but on Facebook.”
Lack of user-driven motivation
Jenson argues that Google’s strategy is not motivated by real user needs, a sentiment echoed in a recent Gizmodo article that described this year’s Google I/O developer conference as “the most never boring”.
The articlethat Jenson linked to in his post, criticized Google for not clarifying how Gemini’s new AI technology would integrate into its existing products and improve the user experience.
See Jenson’s full post below:
Can you opt out of Google’s AI overviews?
A good example of Google’s AI reach is the AI Overview feature, which generates summaries to directly answer search queries by ingesting information from across the web.
The controversial move has sparked legal battles, with publishers accusing Google of violating intellectual property rights and unfairly profiting from their content without permission.
Turning off the AI overview
While Google doesn’t provide an official setting to turn off AI overviews, a viral article by Tom’s hardware suggests using browser extensions.
Alternatively, you can set Chrome to go directly to web search results, bypassing AI-generated overviews.
Here are the steps:
Open Chrome’s settings by clicking the three dots in the upper-right corner and selecting “Settings” from the menu. In the settings window, click on the “Search Engine” tab on the left side. In the “Search Engine” section, click “Manage search engines and site search.” Scroll down to the “Site Search” area and click “Add” to create a new entry.
In the new entry, enter the following data:
First name: Google (Web)
Shortcut: www.google.com
url: {google:baseURL}/search?udm=14&q=%s Click on “add”
Screenshot from: chrome://settings/searchEngines, May 2024.
Finally, click the three dots next to the new “Google (Web)” entry and select “Set as Default.”
Screenshot from: chrome://settings/searchEngines, May 2024.
After following these steps, Chrome will now default to regular web search results instead of AI overview summaries when you search from the address bar.
Tensions over data use
Controversy around AI overviews creates tension between tech companies and content creators over using online data for AI training.
Publishers argue that Google’s AI summaries could divert website traffic, threatening the revenue streams of independent creators who depend on search referrals.
The debate reflects the need for updated frameworks to balance innovation and fair compensation for content creators, while maintaining an open and sustainable internet ecosystem.
Frequently asked questions
What concerns has Scott Jenson raised about Google’s approach to AI?
Scott Jenson, a former product manager at Google, has expressed concern that Google’s current focus on AI is more of a “panic reaction” to stay ahead of competitors rather than addressing the needs of users He criticizes Google’s AI initiatives as unmotivated and driven by a fear of letting others get ahead.
How does Scott Jenson compare Google’s AI strategy to previous projects?
Jenson draws a parallel between Google’s current focus on AI and the company’s response to Facebook years ago with Google+. He calls both “hysterical reactions” driven by competition, which, in the case of Google+, resulted in a product that failed to meet its goals.
Why Are Content Creators Concerned About Google’s AI Overview?
Content creators are concerned that Google’s AI overviews, which generate summaries by ingesting web content, could reduce site traffic. They argue that this practice is unfair as it uses their content without permission and affects their revenue streams that depend on search referrals.
How can users turn off Google AI overviews in Chrome?
While there is no official setting to disable AI overviews, users can use a workaround by enabling a specific Chrome setting.
Here are the steps:
Open Chrome’s settings by clicking the three dots in the upper-right corner and selecting “Settings” from the menu. In the settings window, click on the “Search Engine” tab on the left side. In the “Search Engine” section, click “Manage search engines and site search.” Scroll down to the “Site Search” area and click “Add” to create a new entry.
In the new entry, enter the following data:
First name: Google (Web)
Shortcut: www.google.com
url: {google:baseURL}/search?udm=14&q=%s Click on “add”
This will force Chrome to skip the AI-generated overviews and display the classic list of web links.
Featured Image: Sira Anamwong/Shutterstock
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