As generative AI becomes more widely used, Google is changing how it evaluates content and how its search experience works. Recent updates to Google’s quality rater guidelines and new data on how AI affects search traffic show both Google’s caution about low-quality AI content and its optimism about AI helping users get better results.
Updated Rater Guidelines Crack Down on Low-Value AI-Generated Content
In early 2025, Google revised its Search Quality Rater Guidelines to explicitly define “generative AI” and to give new guidance about how to treat content produced by automated or generative tools.
The guidelines recognise that generative AI has legitimate uses, but warn of potential misuse. Part of this update involves stricter definitions of spam, scaled content abuse, and “MC” (main content) created with little to no effort, originality, or added value.
Content that is nearly entirely AI-generated, copied, or lightly paraphrased with no substantial new input, especially when it adds no unique insight or value, can earn a Lowest rating.
There’s also new attention to “filler” content, layout and content hierarchy and misleading claims of expertise or authorship.
AI in Search: More Queries, Higher-Quality Clicks
On the other hand, Google’s insights into how AI features in Search are playing out suggest an evolving user behaviour and shifting opportunities. Google reports that people are asking more, longer and more complex queries following the introduction of AI Overviews and AI Mode.
Despite fears that AI summaries might reduce traffic to websites, Google says organic click volume to sites has remained relatively stable year-over-year.
What has increased is the quality of clicks: users are less likely to bounce back quickly, meaning that when they do click, they are engaging more deeply.
Google also emphasises that its AI responses are designed to highlight the web. That means responses include citations, links, and attribution, providing visibility to external content and sources.
In many cases, users still click through AI answers to learn more, especially for in-depth reviews, authentic voices, first-person analysis, or unique perspectives.
Implications & What It Means for Content Creators
Putting both these developments together, there are several key implications for anyone creating content or working in SEO:
- Producing purely generative AI content without adding originality, insight, or thoughtful curation is increasingly risky, it may earn low or lowest ratings and damage visibility.
- The user experience, especially whether users stay, engage and explore further is becoming more important. Content that invites deeper engagement will likely fare better.
- Whilst AI features in Search can satisfy quick factual queries directly, there remains (and appears to be growing) an opportunity for content that goes beyond: nuanced takes, first-hand analyses, well-researched posts.
- Having proper attribution, transparency about expertise and avoiding misleading claims is more essential than ever.
- Website structure, layout and content hierarchy matter, for both quality assessment (raters) and for facilitating user satisfaction when they get answers via AI-augmented search.
In summary, Google’s dual push i.e. tightening what counts as quality content while expanding AI-powered search features, suggests a shifting balance. Surface-level AI content will be penalised but AI used well as a tool to empower high-quality, original, thoughtful work, can help content creators stay relevant and even grow.
If you want to know more about how the correct use of please AI generated content can help or hinder the exposure your business receives on Google, please get in touch.