Google has begun testing a feature in Search that rewrites the headlines of published news articles, drawing sharp criticism from media executives who say the company made a unilateral editorial decision without notifying or seeking consent from publishers. Several executives warned that inaccurate or misleading AI-rewritten headlines would still be attributed to the original publisher, while one executive noted that Google’s AI Overviews first summarized articles, Discover began rewriting headlines, and now Search is doing the same, telling Adweek that “each step increases the distance from the original work that we create.” Some executives left room for cautious optimism if the rewrites drive more clicks back to publishers, but attached a firm condition: that Google share data on what headlines were changed, what variations were tested, and what performed better.
