Google Discover gets more personal with new Labs experiment

Google gives the option to try a bunch of developing search-related features early in Search Labs. This weekend, a Reddit user spotted a new Labs feature that purportedly lets you tweak the content on your Discover feed to your liking — using AI, of course.

User Gaiden206 posted screenshots of the new experiment on the r/pixel_phones subreddit. Called “Tailor your feed,” the experiment lets you tell the Google app specifically the type of content you do or don’t want to see in Discover, with flexibility to add or remove topics, or narrow the focus of a type of content you’re already seeing. You can even use it to have Discover pick up or exclude content from specific sources.

Google Discover already has features that let you tweak the type of content you see in your feed. Tapping the three-dot icon in the upper right corner of any story in Discover surfaces options to request less content of a certain type, or to exclude content around certain topics or from certain sources.

This new experiment lets you get more specific. Using text input, you can “Tell your Discover feed what you want to see in your own words.” For example, Google says you could tell Discover that you only want to see recipes that account for certain dietary preferences. You can also make more abstract requests, like telling Discover to give your feed a specific “vibe.”

To access this experiment, you’ll need to sign up for Search Labs. Once you’re in, you’ll see a new icon that looks like a laboratory flask in the top left corner of the Google app. Tap that icon, then scroll down to Tailor your feed and tap Turn on. If you find your Discover feed shows you a lot of irrelevant content and you don’t mind telling Google a little more about yourself, this one might be up your alley.