this post was submitted on 04 Sep 2026
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Google’s AI Mode Is Ripping Shoppers Off With Vastly Higher Prices, Study Claims: Prices were 21.6 percent more expensive on average in Google AI Mode compared to a traditional search. (futurism.com)
submitted 10 hours ago by eicker@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world
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[–] h0tbeef@lemmy.zip 2 points 12 minutes ago (1 children)

They’ve also ruined Google Maps by attempting to “optimize” it with AI

I use a navigation app constantly for work.

A month or two ago Google Maps started doing this thing where it would take me to the incorrect address on the same street as the address I was actually looking for.

Yesterday I put in an address, and it named the destination pin the correct address, but the pin wasn’t even on the same side of the city as the street I knew I was going to.

It used to work flawlessly. What the fuck are they thinking?

Anyway, I deleted that shit. Using Apple Maps until I find a FOSS navigation app I like.

[–] SirLeToet@lemmy.world 3 points 10 minutes ago

The whole internet is slowly getting ruined by AI optimization.

[–] TheEighthDoctor@lemmy.zip -3 points 33 minutes ago

How is that ripping off?

  1. People use AI to look for something
  2. They find what they want
  3. They accept the price and buy it.
[–] 4am@lemmy.zip 6 points 3 hours ago

All AI is to big tech is a way to swindle and control you. Cast them into the sea.

[–] Catoblepas@lemmy.blahaj.zone 51 points 9 hours ago* (last edited 9 hours ago) (1 children)

Oh look, they finally found a way to make AI profitable! (It’s just scamming people again)

[–] trashman@feddit.org 10 points 5 hours ago

When your prompt doesn't include "no scamming", that's your fault, obviously.

[–] Arancello@aussie.zone 48 points 9 hours ago

i would have thought this was exactly the intention

[–] eicker@lemmy.world 57 points 10 hours ago

Google discovering that AI search may quietly steer shoppers toward higher prices is a fun twist: first search results became ads, then ads became recommendations, and now recommendations apparently have a concierge fee. At this rate, AI powered shopping just means your wallet gets the hallucination.

[–] MrSulu@lemmy.ml 12 points 8 hours ago

What are you talking about? There's no way that Google could profit from that.......... /s

[–] foodandart@lemmy.zip 5 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

tenbluelinks.org solves that pesky AI problem. Load up the google web search and then use the element picker in uBO to remove the ai links on the search page and presto! Better searches and results.

[–] Crackhappy@lemmy.world 21 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

Or just don't use Google. At all.

[–] dan1101@lemmy.world 4 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

That's what I'm doing. They have proven time and time again they aren't to be trusted.

[–] EliteCloneMike@lemmy.zip 1 points 1 hour ago

I cannot believe Google hasn’t been broken up yet. I haven’t used their services in years and block them on my home network. I used to use their search and other services all the time, until 2022 when I saw several news articles come out about them locking people out of the accounts because their AI accused people of being child abusers, but when those people were found innocent, Google refused to return their data or accounts. That is disgraceful behavior for a company. Plus many many other issues. Glad to see that they are killing their brand with AI, meaning they are not driving traffic to other websites anymore, but raising energy costs for those sites. And that now this. Glad to also see that people are moving away from their map system in the latest round of news. AI needs to be regulated. Our data needs to be protected. Privacy (digital and in the real world) should be a basic human right.