• ikidd@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    2
    ·
    2 hours ago

    This is probably payback for letting them off the hook on the monopoly suits. Expect more “payback” as they manipulate the narrative.

  • DERRALEXANO@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    19
    ·
    15 hours ago

    Same for searching: “did Elon Musk make a nazi salute?” Only got a response when I replaced “nazi salute” with “offensive gesture”. Ok google

    • pyre@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      14 hours ago

      fuck me. i don’t know why people still use google search; it was shit even before all this. jumped ship years ago.

      • viking@infosec.pub
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        11 hours ago

        What are you using now? I’ve been toying with kagi for a while, but the idea of having to use an account that ties all my searches to me doesn’t sit well with my sense of privacy, and none of the others get results remotely close to google.

        • pyre@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          10 hours ago

          i disagree. Google’s results went to shit for me years ago. the first page was literally just ads, sponsored links that had nothing to do with my search or looked like what i was looking for but were phishing/malware sites, regular results that were less about what i searched and more about what google found more appropriate for me.

          i started to use duckduckgo despite its incredibly stupid name and it’s just like old times for me. except now it has AI assist which you can turn off or set how often you want to see it.

          two things that helped sell me DDG was bangs and DDG browser. i got used to using DDG browser as default on mobile except for things i wanted to have persistent sessions on, which are very rare it turns out. bangs also help you directly search specific sites or even google in the unlikely event i would want to try to search that monstrosity instead. if you search for something and you don’t find what you want and want to try Google instead, just add !g to the search and it directs you to Google search instead. !gi for Google images.

          there are tons of other bangs, like !w for Wikipedia and !imdb for… you’ll never guess but i use it sometimes.

        • Rekorse@sh.itjust.works
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          9 hours ago

          Duckduckgo is the “change in 5 seconds” answer. Its better but still problematic somewhat. The search results are at least a ton better though.

          • viking@infosec.pub
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            8 hours ago

            Thanks, maybe time to try again. I used it years ago but the results were not great.

      • vpklotar@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        5
        ·
        12 hours ago

        I’ve been a Kagi user for over a year and I usually hate AI summaries. Though I must say I love how Kagi has implemented them as it gives sources where it found the info so you can dig deeper and see if what it said was actually correct.

        • Derpgon@programming.dev
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          3
          ·
          11 hours ago

          Their AI is pretty good, both assistant and search summaries. Been using it extensively as it actually provides correct and objective information (at least more often than others). It is also privacy-first, so you don’t get those annoying personality shifts as with like GPT.

        • droans@midwest.social
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          10 hours ago

          Kagi’s summaries are great.

          They’re hidden by default, requiring you to click the button first. They don’t extrapolate too much. And their sources will be the exact same links you got from the search.

          • vpklotar@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            10 hours ago

            I just put a question mark at the end and it does it automatically. Works like a charm.

    • DarkAri@lemmy.blahaj.zone
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      9 hours ago

      I use mojeek, and startpage sometimes. Ddg is too influenced now, they do the same stuff Google does. Brave is run by people who hate LGBT people so I can’t support them in good conscience.

      • Cyberflunk@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        4 hours ago
        The post is likely referring to a long-standing controversy around Brendan Eich, the founder and CEO of Brave (the browser and search engine company). In 2008, Eich donated $1,000 to support California's Proposition 8, a ballot measure that banned same-sex marriage (later overturned by courts). This came to light in 2014 when he was briefly appointed CEO of Mozilla, leading to widespread backlash from employees, users, and activists who viewed it as anti-LGBTQ+. Eich resigned from Mozilla after just 11 days amid the outcry, expressing regret for causing pain but not fully recanting his views.
        
        Some people, including in the LGBTQ+ community and allies, continue to avoid or criticize Brave on these grounds, seeing it as support for leadership with historically discriminatory stances. This isn't a "new" issue in 2025—it's tied to events from over a decade ago—but it persists in discussions about ethical tech choices. Brave has faced other unrelated controversies (e.g., ad practices), but this one specifically relates to anti-LGBT perceptions.
        
        For more details:
        - [Wikipedia on Brendan Eich](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brendan_Eich)
        - [Article on the Mozilla controversy](https://www.osnews.com/story/27646/the-new-mozilla-ceos-political-past-is-imperiling-his-present/)
        - [Recent discussion on Brave controversies](https://www.reddit.com/r/browsers/comments/1j1pq7b/list_of_brave_browser_controversies/)
        - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43300333
        

        well fuck! brave is the one browser that fits all my needs.

    • vpklotar@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      3
      ·
      12 hours ago

      If you don’t mind paying a little I have found that Kagi is the best. Sure, the others mentions are free but subpar, even to google. Kagi is simply better but with the downside of a monthly subscription. I love that they are quite transparent with changelogs and stuff when the make changes.

    • droans@midwest.social
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      10 hours ago

      Kagi.

      The downside is that it costs $10 per month.

      The upside is:

      • Privacy first
      • You can pin websites to the top of results, promote them so they appear higher, demote them so they appear lower, or have them completely removed
      • Lenses - quickly tell Kagi what type of results you want (News sources, academic articles, forum posts, programming sites, small web, etc.)
      • Snaps - search shortcuts kinda like bangs. Eg, typing @w is the same as typing site:wikipedia.com
      • An actual good AI summary. Completely unobtrusive - only activated when you press the button, doesn’t overextrapolate your request, and will only source the same results that you get from the search
      • Direct image results

      When I first migrated a couple years ago, it was a bit worse than Google but pretty close. Nowadays, I find it to be much much better. It’s honestly close to how Google was back in 2015 before they made it garbage.

    • WIZARD POPE💫@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      11
      ·
      1 day ago

      The most tremendous dementia they have seen. The greatest people have looked at me and said it’s the biggest, greatest case they have seen. The biggest of all time.

    • Victor@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      6
      ·
      1 day ago

      This is so succinctly Trump. 😂 Bravo! Really captures the essence in one and a half sentences.

  • RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    7
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    1 day ago

    Ok, so don’t look for an AI response? Sure, Google censoring results is shit, google NOT censoring results about the same query about Biden is even shittier, but you still get search results about the question.

  • SwingingTheLamp@midwest.social
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    96
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    2 days ago

    Forget the spokesperson, just ask Google AI directly:

    AI on Google Search, including the AI Overviews in search, does not provide summaries on topics involving Donald Trump and dementia. This is due to risk aversion, sensitivity to political topics, and recent legal challenges. Instead, these searches return a list of traditional web links.

    Reasons for the lack of response

    • Risk of misinformation: AI-generated conclusions about a public figure’s health could spread misinformation. The mental acuity of Donald Trump and President Joe Biden, the oldest presidents in U.S. history, is a topic of public discussion.
    • Avoiding political sensitivity: AI models often have restrictions on sensitive or controversial topics to avoid biased responses. Google and other tech companies are cautious about how their AI products respond to election-related or partisan queries.
    • Legal history with Trump: Google’s handling of Trump-related content may be influenced by recent legal and political issues. In 2025, Google paid a $24.5 million settlement in a lawsuit related to the suspension of Trump’s YouTube account.
    • Inconsistent application of AI summaries: Some users report that searches about other politicians, like Barack Obama or Joe Biden, may return an AI-generated response, though this varies. This inconsistency has led to criticism that the AI applies selective censorship.

    Google’s statement A Google spokesperson stated that AI Overview and AI Mode do not always show answers to all queries, especially sensitive or complex ones. The company suggests that users rely on traditional search results in such cases.

    • Leon@pawb.social
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      43
      ·
      2 days ago

      Okay, but why? LLMs always give a response, they’re trained to give a response regardless of accuracy. This entire wall of text could be completely made up.

          • willington@lemmy.dbzer0.com
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            15 hours ago

            We need to concern ourselves with what the corporations do.

            Who gives a shit how they explain themselves?

            Once the corps do something egregiously bad, we should not ask for an explanation. We should insist they change how they behave. Period.

    • Phoenixz@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      15
      ·
      2 days ago

      Yeah, we consistently give the wrong answer on any divisive and sensitive topic, but THIS particular issue we will skip because we wouldn’t want somebody to feel like we don’t have our tongue solidly lodged up their ass

      • Jason2357@lemmy.ca
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        1 day ago

        Yeah, it’s insanely inept. They could have restricted the AI from answering “any question about a public figure and dementia” or even “the health information about a politician” or whatever if they were genuinely concerned. But they blocked only specifically Trump and dementia? It’s almost intentionally obvious.

    • CosmicTurtle0@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      10
      ·
      2 days ago

      Instead, these searches return a list of traditional web links.

      “Oh…oh okay. So you know what that is. Why are unable to provide traditional web links for ALL my searches? Because, I’m gonna be honest with you Google. I never asked for you to ‘summarize’ my web results and the fact that you can turn it off at your discretion tells me that you could turn it off for everyone.”

  • Phoenixz@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    58
    ·
    2 days ago

    Wtf, confirmed. Ask about any person, any president on if they have dementia or not and it’ll answer

    Ask about trump and it refused to interact, just dumps a search results window with funnily enough the first result being a page about how Google is censoring this

    • oppy1984@lemdro.id
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      33
      ·
      2 days ago

      Surfacing the result of how they are censoring the results might be a canary in a coal mine, we can’t say we’re doing it but we can make the top result someone else saying we’re doing it.

      • tempest@lemmy.ca
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        4
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        1 day ago

        The incentives don’t allow for this shit in an organization like Google. They can only respond to stock price and earnings.

        Very likely someone back channeled a demand and they folded like a deck of cards.

        So the team responsible for that AI box added Trump dementia to the list of things it won’t respond to.

        The team responsible for the news bits didn’t get the request so that just shows up in its place.

        • oppy1984@lemdro.id
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          18 hours ago

          True for the organization as a whole, but a pissed off engineer or two could have done it, and the people above them are just leaning on “it’s the algorithm” since they don’t agree with the censorship either.

          I’m sure the C Suite will step in and make them change it but it takes time for them to address the issue.

          I’m not saying that’s what is going on, but I’ve witnessed my own department head pull similar tricks, albeit his tricks weren’t as high stakes as this would be.