UPDATE: Google has made significant strides in enhancing its AI Overviews, transforming an initially criticized feature into a widely used tool by the end of 2025. This major improvement comes on the heels of a notorious incident in 2024, when users were left bewildered after the AI absurdly suggested adding glue to pizza.
Just last year, Katie Notopoulos, a journalist for Business Insider, famously took the AI’s advice, making and consuming a glue-infused pizza as a humorous experiment. Now, she acknowledges that the AI Overviews have evolved, becoming more reliable and practical for daily use.
In a recent discussion, Notopoulos and her editor noted that while they once viewed these overviews as “abysmal,” they now rely on them frequently instead of traditional search methods. This shift raises concerns about the potential impact on web traffic for content creators.
Google AI Overviews launched in the spring of 2024, initially drawing widespread ridicule for their inaccuracies. One viral moment featured the AI’s ludicrous suggestion to use glue in pizza sauce, seemingly drawn from a joke on Reddit. Despite the embarrassment, Notopoulos’s willingness to experiment with the AI’s advice turned into an internet sensation.
Fast forward to 2025, and while issues persist, the AI has improved its responses dramatically. One notable quirk, dubbed the “You can’t lick a badger twice” problem, saw the AI interpreting nonsensical phrases as legitimate idioms, generating laughably inaccurate explanations.
“When people do nonsensical or ‘false premise’ searches, our systems will try to find the most relevant results based on the limited web content available,” explained Meghann Farnsworth, a Google spokeswoman.
However, recent tests indicate that the AI’s responses have become more sensible. For example, when Notopoulos inputted a made-up idiom, “you can’t tell a yak not to dance,” the AI accurately identified it as “not a common, established idiom” and proposed plausible interpretations.
This progression highlights the rapid advancements in AI technology, making tools like Google AI Overviews not just functional but increasingly useful for users across the globe. As these updates unfold, many are left questioning how this will affect traditional content creation and the future of search engines.
What’s next? As Google continues to refine its AI capabilities, users can anticipate further enhancements that may redefine how we interact with information online. The tech giant’s commitment to improving user experience signals a transformative shift in digital information retrieval.
Stay tuned for more updates as we monitor the ongoing evolution of Google’s AI technologies and their impact on the way we seek and consume information.
