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We're testing new ad formats in Search and expanding our Direct Offers pilot

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Re: We're testing new ad formats in Search and expanding our Direct Offers pilot

#411

Post by stackghost »

nelblu wrote: post #15

> We’re introducing more helpful ads in AI Mode I always chuckle when ad companies say that. I have never seen a helpful ad in google search, but well I have been using adblockers forever so I would not know.I am honestly curious though, for those who don't use adblockers - what percentage of ads that you see are actually helpful?

>I have never seen a helpful ad in google search

I have never seen a helpful ad, anywhere, in my life.

"Ads help people discover new products" is a lie that people who work for companies supported by advertising revenue tell themselves. If $deity exists, and they were to delete all ads from the world tomorrow, never to return, everything would be just fine.

Truly great products sell themselves by word of mouth.

Re: We're testing new ad formats in Search and expanding our Direct Offers pilot

#412

Post by inetknght »

threetonesun wrote: post #351
SlinkyOnStairs wrote: post #210

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It's basically standard SEO but it also manipulates AI like ChatGPT very very easily There are key differences. 1) Google doesn't get paid for the SEO, so even is crime is involved, Google isn't directly responsible. 2) AI ads are unmarked, which is illegal pretty much everywhere. And because of the way LLMs work, it is impossible to tell where a given output came from, neither which part of the prompt/context nor…

Why would AI ads be unmarked? Most of the Google AI search results I get show sources. They're just summarizing top results for you, injecting a ad shown as an ad into that isn't tremendously different than how Google worked before.

I wish I could be this naive about things and still be happy.

Re: We're testing new ad formats in Search and expanding our Direct Offers pilot

#413

Post by stackghost »

da_chicken wrote: post #24
karlkloss wrote: post #8

Does nobody talk abot the elephant in the room? Will the answers the AI gives also be influenced by Googles customers?

That will be fun because it's illegal to accept money to promote a product without indication that you have done so. The FTC requires "clear and conspicuous disclosure" for such endorsements.

Is it not obvious to you, particularly now that Trump has been elected twice, that laws are meaningless in the United States, unless you are poor?

Re: We're testing new ad formats in Search and expanding our Direct Offers pilot

#414

Post by wraptile »

stackghost wrote: post #411
nelblu wrote: post #15

> We’re introducing more helpful ads in AI Mode I always chuckle when ad companies say that. I have never seen a helpful ad in google search, but well I have been using adblockers forever so I would not know.I am honestly curious though, for those who don't use adblockers - what percentage of ads that you see are actually helpful?

>I have never seen a helpful ad in google search I have never seen a helpful ad, anywhere, in my life. "Ads help people discover new products" is a lie that people who work for companies supported by advertising revenue tell themselves. If $deity exists, and they were to delete all ads from the world tomorrow, never to return, everything would be just fine. Truly great products sell themselves by word of mouth.

I agree, maybe "ads are useful" could have been true long time ago before the world was not as connected.

You could maybe argue that ad revenue could subsidize the costs of information delivery but information delivery costs are basically non existent today - it's all about attention delivery and thats an entirely different thing.

Re: We're testing new ad formats in Search and expanding our Direct Offers pilot

#415

Post by inetknght »

delecti wrote: post #244
superloika wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Block the AI overviews with extensions like https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/hide-google-ai-over... or use a userscript to do the same.

Alternatively, just change your browser's default search shortcut, and add &udm=14 to the end of the normal google search. It changes the default search results to "web" rather than "All", which removes all the extraneous crap they've added over the years. Compare https://www.google.com/search?q=test to https://www.google.com/search?q=test&udm=14

Or even better: stop using Google.

Use Kagi instead.

Re: We're testing new ad formats in Search and expanding our Direct Offers pilot

#416

Post by jslakro »

goda90 wrote: post #151
jslakro wrote: post #96

Allowing synthetic content to grow without limits will force the creation of a "synternet," an only-generative content network that can be accessed but will guarantee the classic internet to be human-focused, otherwise, internet data will lose value and the human incentive to surf will be lost

How do you keep bad actors off the classic Internet? Even if there's a proof of humanity system, there would remain a demand for mechanical turk jobs to funnel AI content into it.

Bad actors will continue to exist. The main purpose of the dual network is de-escalated the flood of synthetic content, probably monetizing the AI side and regulating the human-centric one

Re: We're testing new ad formats in Search and expanding our Direct Offers pilot

#417

Post by hoppyhoppy2 »

ventana wrote: post #405
nelblu wrote: post #15

> We’re introducing more helpful ads in AI Mode I always chuckle when ad companies say that. I have never seen a helpful ad in google search, but well I have been using adblockers forever so I would not know.I am honestly curious though, for those who don't use adblockers - what percentage of ads that you see are actually helpful?

I find all ads — both search ads and website ads — very helpful in training the brain to ignore the noise. Isn't it amazing how we trained ourselves to immediately detect the 1pt hidden "Sponsored" mark and scroll the page down to the first real search result, or immediately locate the Close or X button on the pop-up ad making sure none of the actual ad content gets through our well-trained firewall in our brain. Ama…

I believe in brain plasticity but I also believe in uBlock Origin.

Re: We're testing new ad formats in Search and expanding our Direct Offers pilot

#418

Post by inetknght »

pmdr wrote: post #349
jesse_dot_id wrote: post #330

Kagi is great.

Yes, but at $5/300 searches they're trying too hard to squeeze $10 out of you for the unlimited plan. 300 searches is ridiculous.

I suggest you try their service (for free) before you start criticizing their pricing.

Re: We're testing new ad formats in Search and expanding our Direct Offers pilot

#420

Post by _DeadFred_ »

jodrellblank wrote: post #374
pasquinelli wrote: post #322

Earlier quoted context omitted.

seems like the ad was superfluous. the doctor treating your friend's condition would be aware of new drugs relevant to your friend's condition. i go to a doctor because i don't know about medicine, i don't want to be educated on medicine from snake oil salesmen.

Conspicuously absent from your scenario is the way the doctor becomes aware of the new drug. How does that happen?

By doing their job instead of hoping a stranger's friend happens to land on a useful ad?
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