Google’s AI is taking over our news headlines, and it’s not for the better.

In early December, I shared that Google had started swapping out headlines from various sources, including ours, with AI-generated clickbait in its content feed. Initially, it seemed like they were reconsidering this approach, but now they’ve confirmed that these AI headlines in Google Discover are here to stay, claiming they enhance user satisfaction. Unfortunately, every time I check my phone, I’m met with a barrage of misleading headlines.

As I mentioned last month, this situation is like a bookstore changing the covers of its books — except in this case, the “bookstore” is the news tab you access by swiping right on devices like the Samsung Galaxy or Google Pixel, and the “cover” often features an AI-generated falsehood instead of the actual story.

For instance, last week, Google’s AI asserted that “US reverses foreign drone ban,” linking to a story that explicitly stated the opposite. The original article made it clear that while the Commerce Department ended its efforts to restrict certain drones, it was only because those restrictions were unnecessary following FCC actions. The confusion stems from misleading headlines that suggest a significant policy shift when none occurred.

Jim Fisher, the author of that article, expressed his discomfort with the situation, urging readers to engage with the actual stories rather than relying on what Google presents. He believes Google should stick to the original headlines crafted by humans and utilize summaries provided by publications to enhance search engine understanding.

Google insists it’s not rewriting headlines but rather presenting “trending topics.” However, these topics mimic our stories, link to them, and use our images, all without proper fact-checking to ensure accuracy.

Interestingly, Google’s current approach seems slightly improved compared to a month ago, with fewer blatant clickbait examples. I’ve noticed a mix of unaltered news stories alongside the AI-generated ones, although the genuine headlines often get truncated, making them hard to read.

The AI has also expanded beyond the previous four-word limit, so I’m no longer seeing absurdly vague headlines like “Microsoft developers using AI.” Instead, I occasionally encounter odd phrases like “Fares: Need AAA & AA Games” or “Dispatch sold millions; few avoided romance.”

However, the AI still struggles to discern which parts of stories are new, relevant, or accurate, leading to confusion. For example, on December 26th, it claimed that “Steam Machine price & HDMI details emerge,” which was incorrect. On January 11th, it announced that “ASUS ROG Ally X arrives,” when it actually launched in 2024, while the new Xbox Ally had already been released months earlier. Another headline touted “Glasses-free 3D tech wows,” linking to a story about a different company entirely.

I find it particularly frustrating when I see misleading headlines on our own stories, as it undermines our ability to promote our work effectively. For instance, Google reduced a detailed piece about RGB stripe OLED monitors to the bland “New OLED Gaming Monitors Debut.” My article on an immersive 3D demo of the Lego Smart Brick was simplified to “Lego Smart Play launches March 1,” a date that was outdated by the time Google published it. Even our significant Verge Awards coverage at CES 2026 was misrepresented as “Robots & AI Take CES,” which contradicted our actual findings.

Despite the promise of AI improving the situation, it hasn’t effectively filtered out the worst human clickbait. One headline that slipped through was “Star Wars Outlaws Free Download Available For Less Than 24 Hours.” The article revealed that only one code was being given away, and it was limited to UK residents, yet Google’s bot deemed this FOMO-inducing clickbait acceptable without any adjustments.

A Google spokesperson stated that the new feature in Discover aims to help users explore topics covered by various creators, providing an AI-generated overview and links to related stories. They claim this feature enhances user satisfaction and that they are continually refining the user interface to encourage exploration of web content.

While it’s unclear how widely these AI-generated “trending topics” are being distributed, I’ve noticed them appearing as push notifications on my phone, leading to a Google Gemini chatbot that attempts to summarize recent news.

Disclosure: Vox Media, the parent company of this outlet, has filed a lawsuit against Google, seeking damages related to its advertising practices.