AI Slop Cleanup Job Listings Up 87%, Report Says
The Guardian reports AI cleanup listings are up 87%, while freelancers say clients lowball the work.
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See short video versions of news stories on YouTube and TikTok. Matt G. Southern is the Senior News Writer at Search Engine Journal, where he’s covered Google, SEO, and AI for over 13 years.
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Google AI Mode Prices Differ From Product Carousel For Same Items
Data finds Google AI Mode rarely shows the same products as the regular results carousel, and often lists a different seller when it does.
Google Adds Gemini 3.8 Flash To AI Mode
Google added Gemini 3.8 Flash to AI Mode’s model menu on release day.
Google To Bring New Video Understanding Tech To Ask YouTube
Google says a new Gemini system that inspects frames, audio, and transcripts on demand will power Ask YouTube on video watch pages.
YouTube Says Bigger Thumbnails Drove More Long-Form Views
YouTube’s Todd Beaupré says the desktop homepage redesign with larger thumbnails drove more long-form engagement despite showing fewer videos at once.
Google Details Who Can License Its Search Data In Europe
Google published eligibility rules, samples, and key dates for licensing ranking, query, click, and view data from EEA Search under the EU’s Digital Markets Act.
Google Search Console AI Reports Rolled Out Worldwide
Google says Search Console’s generative AI performance reports, which track AI Overviews and AI Mode impressions, have now rolled out to all sites worldwide.
ChatGPT Is Now A “Very Large Online Search Engine” In The EU
ChatGPT is now a very large online search engine under the EU Digital Services Act after OpenAI reported about 159.1 million average monthly search recipients.
UCP Releases Spec Update With Schema Changes
The Universal Commerce Protocol’s first spec release since April adds grocery readiness, lays groundwork for food and lodging, and brings schema changes.
Claude Searches Web Differently From Claude Code, Data Shows
New data finds Claude and Claude Code search at different rates, mention different brands, and send their agents to different types of pages.
Facebook Groups Are Google’s No. 2 Forum Source
Ahrefs data shows public Facebook Group posts appear in 38% of Google’s Discussions and forums results, passing Quora and trailing only Reddit.
Judge Questions Google AI, Spam Update Fallout – SEO Pulse
This week’s SEO Pulse covers Google’s AI publisher dispute, spam update fallout, the GEO debate, AI citation gaps, and ChatGPT’s Reddit behavior in search.
WebMCP Connects AI Agents To Actions Inside Websites
OpenAI, Shopify, and Cloudflare are putting WebMCP into live products, giving AI agents a structured way to use websites without relying on visual clicks.
Google Starts Rolling Out Hotel Booking In AI Mode
Google is rolling out hotel booking in AI Mode with Google Pay checkout. Flight alerts and rewards pricing are available in supported markets.
OpenAI Adds WebMCP Site Tools To ChatGPT’s Browser
OpenAI added WebMCP support to ChatGPT’s desktop browser, letting supported webpages expose structured actions to ChatGPT Work and Codex.
AI Tools Recommend Brands But Cite Other Sites, Data Shows
A report finds AI tools often recommend brands while citing other websites as the source.
Google Brings Developing-Topic Link Carousels To AI Mode
Google has brought its developing-topic link carousels to AI Mode, putting timely article links and Preferred Sources prominently inside AI responses.
1 In 10 Webpages Shows Signs Of AI Authorship, Pew Reports
Pew found AI authorship signs on 10% of sampled webpages and 35% of pages carrying a post-ChatGPT publication date.
Spam Update, Generative UI In AIOs, Reddit Drop – SEO Pulse
Google’s August spam update rolls out as generative UI reaches AI Overviews, websites get a new button, and Reddit’s ChatGPT citation share falls.
Google’s Generated Interfaces Could Compete With Tool Pages
AI Overviews can now build interactive tools inside Search. Google’s testing shows generated interfaces often beat top results in head-to-head comparisons.
Google Expands Personalization Across Search, Discover & News
Google is rolling out a new embeddable Preferred Sources button, natural language Discover controls, and customizable audio briefings in the Google News app.
Why Reddit’s ChatGPT Citation Drop Isn’t Fully Explained
New Promptwatch data shows a sharp drop in Reddit’s ChatGPT Search citations this month.
Google Expands Generative UI Beyond AI Mode Into AI Overviews
Google’s generative UI, which builds custom visual layouts and interactive tools, has started reaching AI Overviews after launching in AI Mode last year.
Google Finishes Rolling Out The August 2026 Spam Update
Google has finished rolling out the August spam update globally in all languages. Here’s how long it took and what to check in Search Console.
YouTube Changes How It Counts Views On Long-Form & Live
YouTube is changing how it counts views on long-form videos and live streams.
Google Lets You Turn Off Visible Watermarks In Gemini
Google Gemini allows users to disable the visible watermark on AI-generated images, videos, and music, while SynthID and C2PA marks stay embedded.
Llms.txt V2 Adds Formal Markdown Linking For AI Agents
A v2 update to the llms.txt spec has shipped, adding formal link relations that help AI agents locate Markdown versions of pages.
AI Assistants Are Choosing Local Businesses For Your Customers
AI assistants narrow local searches before customers reach a website. See how Google builds those answers and which local signals businesses can optimize.
ChatGPT’s Index, GA Benchmarks, Google Refiles Complaint – SEO Pulse
Google Analytics adds campaign benchmarking, new data on ChatGPT’s index search index, and Google refiles its SerpApi claims with new terms.
Google Brings Gemini 3.7 Flash To AI Mode In Search
Google is rolling out Gemini 3.7 Flash in AI Mode for Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers, a day after the model’s initial release.