Key Takeaways
Recent investigations reveal that despite Google’s efforts to target AI-generated spam through updated policies, plagiarized content often ranks higher in search results than original reporting.
In one instance, a search for information on Adobe’s artificial intelligence policies highlighted this issue.
WIRED’s coverage titled “Adobe Says It Won’t Train AI Using Artists’ Work. Creatives Aren’t Convinced” appeared in the second position, while a suspiciously similar article from Syrus #Blog topped the results.
According to that Microsoft AI chief this is perfectly fine 😂
— Matt Gibbs (@ematt) July 2, 2024
The Syrus #Blog article featured content that closely mirrored the WIRED piece, with slight changes in phrasing and AI-generated illustrations. A single hyperlink at the bottom of the page led back to the original WIRED article, serving as the only form of attribution.
(Source: WIRED)
Multilingual Plagiarism and AI Content
The problem extends beyond English, as versions of the plagiarized content have been found in multiple languages, including Japanese and Spanish.
Articles originally published by Reuters and TechCrunch were also found plagiarized on this blog, indicating a broader issue of AI-generated content being repackaged and ranking well in Google News.
And either manually bans good websites or buries them on the third page.
— The Other Side (@thexotherview) July 2, 2024
For example, a search for “competing visions Google Openai” revealed a TechCrunch piece at the top, followed by articles from The Atlantic and Bloomberg. However, a Syrus #Blog article, which heavily copied the TechCrunch piece, appeared fourth in the results.
I’m not even an SEO and I’ve been saying this since September. Just look at the serps, it’s obvious.
— San Moreira (@Warriorne) July 3, 2024
The company’s spokesperson, Meghann Farnsworth, emphasized that action is taken against sites globally that do not follow these policies.
When contacted via email for a response, Google declined to comment on Syrus. “We don’t comment on specific websites, but our updated spam policies prohibit creating low-value, unoriginal content at scale for the purposes of ranking well on Google,” says Meghann Farnsworth, a spokesperson for Google. “We take action on sites globally that don’t follow our policies.”
Google’s Spam Policy Updates
In January, AI-powered articles appeared multiple times for basic queries in Google News results.
In response, Google announced significant changes to its algorithm and new spam policies to improve search results. By the end of April, Google reported a 45% reduction in low-quality, unoriginal content, surpassing the initial goal of 40%.
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Despite these changes, spammy AI-generated content remains a prevalent issue. Lily Ray, senior director of search engine optimization at Amsive, noted that clients have reported their articles being rehashed with AI, appearing similar but less coherent.
“This is a really rampant problem on Google right now, and it’s hard to answer specifically why it’s happening,” says Lily. “We’ve had some clients say, ‘Hey, they took our article and rehashed it with AI. It looks exactly like what we wrote in our original content but just kind of like a mumbo-jumbo, AI-rewritten version of it.’”
Identifying AI-Generated Content
Indicators such as AI-generated illustrations with droopy eyes and other deformed features suggest that some of the plagiarized content is created using AI tools.
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An email exchange with the blog creator confirmed using AI tools for content creation. The creator defended their process, claiming it respects intellectual property despite only slight modifications and minimal attribution.
Google’s Response and Policy Enforcement
Google declined to comment on specific websites but reiterated that its updated spam policies prohibit creating low-value, unoriginal content at scale.
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Google’s spam policies clearly define abusive scraping, including sites that copy content from other sites, modify it slightly, and republish it. However, it remains unclear if the identified blog will be de-ranked in Google News results.
Impact on Original Content Creators
The ongoing issue creates anxiety among original content creators and SEO experts.
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Andrew Boyd, a consultant at Forte Analytica, described the industry’s trauma from sudden traffic losses due to Google’s algorithm updates. Some websites have experienced considerable declines in visitors following these updates.
“Our industry suffers from some form of trauma, and I’m not even really joking about that,” he said. “I think one of the main reasons for that is because there’s no recourse if you’re one of these publishers that’s been affected. All of a sudden, you wake up in the morning and 50 per cent of your traffic is gone.”
Ongoing Challenges and Future Directions
While some experts criticize Google for the prevalence of spam, others acknowledge the company’s efforts in addressing spam challenges.
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Eli Schwartz, author of Product-Led SEO, pointed out that despite complaints, Google has improved in preventing unrelated and inappropriate content from appearing in search results.
“Actually, Google doesn’t get enough credit for this, but Google’s biggest challenge is spam,” says Eli. “So, despite all the complaints we have about Google’s quality now, you don’t do a search for hardware and then find adult sites. They’re doing a good enough job.”
Google continues to release updates to combat spam, but the presence of low-quality, AI-generated content in search results remains a frustration.
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Until spammy sites with AI content are effectively removed, publishers may have less incentive to produce high-quality content, and users may have less trust in the top results of Google News.
