Google Discover is adding AI between you and the reporting it recommends

Google Discover is testing a new way to make you learn more about the stories appearing in your feed, and it could mean you spend less time actually reading what your favorite websites are reporting and watching videos from the creators you like.

The new feature, called “Dive deeper,” adds an AI-generated overview when you want to explore a topic further. Google says it is designed to make it easier to explore a topic and find related content without having to jump between different webpages.

Instead of taking you to the publisher’s article or video shown in your Discover feed, “Dive deeper” will take you to a page with a short AI-generated summary of the topic, much like AI Overviews in Search.

The feature is currently being tested with videos first, with more designs and types of content expected to be tested in the coming weeks.

For publishers like us, the concern is that users who would previously have clicked through to read an article may now get enough information from Google’s AI overview and stop there. That could mean fewer people reaching the original reporting for the full context and details of a story. Then there’s also the risk that a short AI-generated summary leaves users with only part of the story, and if it’s incomplete or inaccurate, they could come away with a distorted understanding of the topic.

Google still includes links to related stories and original reporting, so the test doesn’t completely remove publishers from the experience. However, it does potentially add another step before a reader reaches the actual source.