Google has released new features aimed at giving users greater control over the content presented in its Search, Discover, and Google News. Among the innovations are the ability to personalize the Discover feed using artificial intelligence (AI) through natural language commands and an improvement to the Source Preferences feature, which allows users to select the outlets they wish to see most frequently in the results.
These changes are part of the company's continuous effort to enhance the personalization of Google's news services, also aiming to strengthen the connection between readers and the media they follow.
Discover Feed Personalization with AI
In the coming days, the Google app will allow users to specify directly the type of content they are looking for in Discover. This functionality will be accessible in the three-dot menu of the publications displayed in the feed. By activating this feature, the user can interact with a chatbot-style interface to detail which topics they would like to see more or less in Discover. The tool will accept requests related to specific themes, interests, or content categories.
After processing the provided preferences, Google will indicate the types of content it intends to prioritize. Users retain the option to refine the instructions if the initial result does not meet expectations. Once the option to update the feed is selected, the changes are implemented. Google assures that these preferences will be remembered in future visits, and the new feature will be launched in the Google app soon.
This change represents an expansion of AI use in feed customization, following the trend of other platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, Bluesky, and X, which already offer mechanisms for users to influence recommended content.
Source Preferences Feature
Another new feature announced by the company concerns Source Preferences, a mechanism that allows the user to indicate which outlets they prefer to follow in Google Search. Now, websites can integrate an interactive 'Source Preferences' button directly onto their own pages. By clicking this button, the reader can add that outlet to their list of favorite sources without needing to leave the page to perform the procedure manually.
This selection can result in increased appearance of content from the chosen source across various areas of Google Search, including the top stories section, AI Overviews, and AI Mode. Google reported that there are already over 600 thousand unique sources selected by users. The Source Preferences feature is already available in all languages supported by Google Search, and the company confirmed its expansion to AI Overviews and AI Mode.
Olhar Digital already has the 'Prefer OD on Google' button in its website's news, allowing the reader to include OD in Google's preferred sources directly from a publication. Furthermore, it is possible to configure this preference by accessing a specific page, where the user can select Olhar Digital as a preferred source, causing Google to consider this criterion when displaying Search content. The button is also present on Olhar Digital's news pages, enabling direct configuration from the site itself, without needing to look for the option in the general Search settings. It is possible to follow Olhar Digital directly on Google Discover to centralize exclusive articles, social media posts, and daily highlights.
Audio Briefing Update
Additionally, Google announced an update to the daily audio briefings in Google News for Android devices. With this change, users gain the ability to choose the topics they would like to hear in these summaries. The company clarifies that the briefings now provide proper attribution of sources and include links to the full articles, facilitating direct access to the publications used in the spoken content. This new feature also connects to the Google News AI testing program, which aggregates various outlets to increase the depth and scope of the subjects covered in the briefings.