Google shocks: They use AI to change article titles in online search results

From an experiment to a permanent feature

This isn’t the first time Google has used AI to curate content. A similar system was introduced in the Google Discover feed in December 2025, at first also as a “small experiment”. Unatoč with numerous documented errors, where AI-generated headlines completely distorted the meaning of the original člinks, Google hasć in January 2026, declared that practice a permanent feature. As an explanation, they stated that it “improves user satisfaction”, although they did not clarify how this satisfaction was measured. It is precisely this rapid transition from test to permanent implementation that worries publishers the most. A Google spokesperson confirmed to The Verge that the current testing in the main search engine is “narrow and limited”, but the question is whether it will stop there. The testing does not only apply to news portals, butć to all kinds of websites.

The consequences of this practice can be devastating for the credibility of the media. In one of the most famous examples, an article by The Verge with the original title “I used an AI tool ‘cheat on everything’ and it didn’t help me cheat on anything” appeared in Google results shortened to just “‘Cheat on everything’ AI tool”. Thus, a harsh criticism of the tool was turned into its apparent recommendation.

In another case, the original title “Microsoft rebrands Copilot in the most Microsoft way” was changed to “Changes in Copilot: Marketing teams ride again”, the name AI inserted its own editorial comment that does not exist in the original text. Examples were also noted in which the headlines were fabricated and inaccurate, suggesting that the US government had lifted the ban on foreign drones, even though the article stated the exact opposite. The most bizarre is perhaps the case of the PC Gamer portal, which is a text about a technical error in a video game. Baldur’s Gate 3 got the AI ​​title “The gameč and BG3 exploit children”.

“It’s like they’re tearing the covers off books”

Reactions from the media industry are unanimously negative. Sean Hollister, an editor at The Verge, compared Google’s practice to a bookstore that “rips the covers off the books it publishes and changes their titles.”

Louisa Frahm, SEO director at sports giant ESPN, wrote on LinkedIn: “After more than ten years in SEO for news, I have come to realize that the headline is the most important element to attract readers. If that vision changes and the facts are misrepresented, long-term audience trust will be damaged.”

This move comes at a time when issuingčand moreć struggling with a drastic drop in traffic. The introduction of AI Overviews at the top of the search results reduced the need for users to click on the original article at all. Data show that traffic from Google search to publishers has dropped by 33 percent at the global level, and now they are threatened with losing control over the only remaining tool for attracting attention – the headline.