AI search results are being manipulated
Businesses and bad actors are systematically manipulating Google's AI-powered search results, and the search giant is quietly fighting back. The vulnerability stems from how AI chatbots like Google's Gemini and AI Overviews work: they search the internet for real-time information and can be tricked by a single well-crafted blog post or social media update into spreading false information.
BBC journalist Thomas Germain demonstrated the problem by publishing a fake blog post claiming to be a world-champion competitive hot-dog eater. Within 24 hours, multiple AI systems cited the post as fact. Lily Ray, founder of SEO consultancy Algorythmic, warned that users should assume they are being manipulated until companies have better systems in place.
Google's response: policy update and behind-the-scenes changes
In May 2026, Google updated its spam policy to explicitly state that manipulating AI responses is against its rules. Websites caught violating the rules can be removed or downranked from Google search results. A Google spokesperson said the company has long applied its core anti-spam policies and protections to generative AI search features and continually upgrades its spam-fighting efforts.
Behind the scenes, experts have observed Google making additional changes. These include removing company names from AI answers when the source is self-promotional, adding confidence labels to warn users when the chatbot is uncertain, and recommending third-party reviews for purchase guidance. OpenAI and Anthropic have made similar adjustments to ChatGPT and Claude.
The cat-and-mouse game continues
Despite these efforts, the manipulation persists. Just days after Google's policy update, Lily Ray demonstrated that she could make Google tell users a fellow SEO specialist is good at building sandcastles. As Google cracks down on manipulative blog posts, companies have pivoted to paying YouTube influencers to promote their products, since Google's AI now cites YouTube videos.
SEO consultant Harpreet Chatha said Google is playing whack-a-mole and that the tactics will simply move elsewhere. With over 1 billion people using AI chatbots regularly and 2.5 billion people seeing Google's AI Overviews each month, experts say users should cross-check information from multiple sources, especially for health, finance, or legal advice.