Google announced an update to its Chrome web browser that will introduce AI-generated store reviews to U.S. shoppers to help them determine the best places to make a purchase. The feature is available by clicking an icon to the left of the web address, which displays a pop-up informing the user about the store's reputation for things like product quality, shopping, pricing, customer service, and returns.
The feature generates the summaries based on reviews from partners like Bazaarvoice, Bizrate Insights, Reputation, Trustpilot, Yotpo, and other review platforms. Currently it's only available on desktop Chrome.
Google says the goal with the summaries is to provide a safer shopping experience, but really it's become obvious that Google is desperate to add AI features that no-one wants into their browser to better position itself against new AI-powered browsers like Perplexity's Comet and The Browser Company’s Dia, which are launching with native AI shopping features integrated from day one.
Google notes that it’s not using AI to create reviews, but simply summarizing them alongside the business’s star rating, based on product and store reviews.
The danger, however, for brands is that AI still sucks and often doesn't get it right.
It's hard enough to control your reputation on Google — with the company offering little to no recourse for removing fraudulent business reviews or appealing incorrect suspensions. Now companies may have yet another uphill battle to climb fighting incorrect or misleading AI summaries?
These are the dangers of AI-generated-everything. An incorrect AI summary could absolutely tank a brand, and who do they go to for support?