Jonathan Gillham is the Founder and CEO of Originality.ai, a software specializing in AI Content and Plagiarism detection.
As AI evolves, the concern that AI-generated content will replace original, authentic human writing has become a frequent topic of discussion and debate.
For example, in February 2023, just months after the release of ChatGPT in November 2022, The Harvard Gazette interviewed Steven Pinker, a Harvard professor of psychology, about whether AI could replace human writers. Pinker noted that despite AI’s advancements, it’s unlikely AI will supplant human writers because there is such a strong demand for authenticity when it comes to intellectual work, like writing.
While there is high demand for authentic and original human writing, there are still concerns that online search engines will inadvertently rank AI content higher than human results—making it increasingly difficult for audiences to access human writing.
What has been Google’s approach to AI, and what should companies know about the rising presence of written AI content in search results?
Google’s Guidelines On AI Content
Google’s guidelines make it clear that, above all, they prioritize quality content in their search engine rankings—whether it’s created by humans or AI. In particular, Google notes that content should be helpful (provide readers with valuable insights) and created for people (not to manipulate rankings in search).
They acknowledge the benefits of automation in content production and that it can, in certain cases, provide value to readers: “Weather forecasts” and “sports scores” are cited as examples of helpful automation.
However, that does not mean a blanket acceptance of AI-generated content. For Google to rank AI-generated content (or human-written content) well, it should provide value. Content that is designed with the specific purpose of manipulating search rankings, including mass-produced AI content lacking valuable information, is against their spam policies.
If the content is identified as violating those spam policies, Google notes that it may rank the content lower or remove it entirely from search results.
Identifying AI-Generated Content
Can Google detect AI content? At the very least, they seem to be attempting to mitigate its use for certain purposes, specifically spamming search results. Google has noted: “How can Search determine if AI is being used to spam search results? We have a variety of systems, including SpamBrain, that analyze patterns and signals to help us identify spam content, however it is produced.”
Further, they may be taking action against AI spam content by dropping or removing it from the results. Though it is unclear why Google deindexes results, my company’s study of the manual actions taken by Google in March 2024 found that there seemed to be penalties on AI content: Of the 175 sites deindexed by Google, up to one-third had 95%+ AI-generated content, according to our AI checker.
The Rise Of AI Content In Search Engine Results
As noted by their policies, Google can detect and penalize AI content published to manipulate search engine rankings. However, AI content looks to be increasing in Google results. My company’s research estimates that, as of September 2024, 13.97% of the top 20 Google search results for 500 keywords contained AI content, according to our AI checker.
This means that the amount of AI content in the top results has more than doubled since late 2022 when ChatGPT was released, at which point only 5.61% of the content was AI-generated.
AI Best Practices for Online Publishers
While the amount of content generated by AI may be increasing in the top 20 results, Google is still firm on its spam policies. What does this mean for writers, editors and web publishers who routinely create and publish content online?
Here are some factors to consider when developing content:
1. Balance AI with authentic human perspectives. AI has exceptional capabilities, and online creators don’t need to avoid it entirely. AI tools can help curate a list of sources for further research, draft a basic outline that serves as a starting point for a topic or as a powerful editing tool to catch spelling and grammar mistakes. Writers, editors and publishers should expand on these initial time-saving features with their unique expertise by drafting the copy itself, verifying sources, conducting additional research and editing phrases.
2. Don’t replace human expertise with AI. Don’t skip over the human perspective. As Steven Pinker noted earlier in this article, people place a high value on authenticity when it comes to intellectual creations. Write, edit and publish content for your audience. Highlight the human perspective on a topic and include original research that readers value.
Authenticity: Valuable To Search Rankings And Readers
Both humans and search engines like Google place a high value on authentic content that is created for people. To build a strong relationship with your audience, avoid Google penalties and continue to improve search engine rankings, it’s essential to approach AI tools with a balanced perspective.
Incorporate AI optimizations in a minimal way that allows the unique voice of your writing to stand out and cultivates an authentic connection with your readers.
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