Google is Now Changing News Headlines – Without Permission
fliptop writes:
Google has begun testing a feature that changes the headlines of published articles without notifying publishers, sparking concerns among media executives:
Google is courting fresh controversy after starting to test a feature that rewrites article headlines without seeking permission or even notifying the publishers. The trial expands on earlier artificial intelligence (AI) tools, such as AI Overviews, which condense articles into short summaries.
Media leaders voiced outrage at the complete lack of communication or approval, with one executive calling it "another overreach by Google taking liberties with content without permission." They regard headlines as a core part of "editorial judgment" and essential to journalistic integrity. Changing them without disclosure could create serious problems, including a loss of reader confidence if the new versions turn out to be inaccurate or misleading.
Marc McCollum of Raptive, which partners with thousands of publishers, questioned how far the practice might go. "Would they also test changing the lead that shows up in Google? Would they consider imagery that didn't come from the original publisher?" McCollum asked, expressing concern that Google is altering original work excessively.
From TheVerge:
What we are seeing is a "small" and "narrow" experiment, one that's not yet approved for a fuller launch, Google spokespeople Jennifer Kutz, Mallory De Leon, and Ned Adriance tell The Verge. They would not say how "small" that experiment actually is. Over the past few months, multiple Verge staffers have seen examples of headlines that we never wrote appear in Google Search results - headlines that do not follow our editorial style, and without any indication that Google replaced the words we chose. And Google says it's tweaking how other websites show up in search, too, not just news.
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