{"id":311624,"date":"2026-05-21T16:25:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T20:25:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?prc_email_campaign=google-announces-changes-to-search"},"modified":"2026-06-08T12:13:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T16:13:21","slug":"google-announces-changes-to-search","status":"publish","type":"prc_email_campaign","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/newsletter\/the-briefing\/google-announces-changes-to-search\/","title":{"rendered":"Google announces changes to Search"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\u2600\ufe0f Happy Thursday!<\/strong>\u00a0<em>The Briefing is your guide to the world of news and information<\/em>.<em> <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/sign-up-for-the-briefing\/\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/sign-up-for-the-briefing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Sign up here!<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>In today<em>\u2019<\/em>s email:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\n<li><strong>Featured story:<\/strong> Google announces major changes to search<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>In other news:<\/strong> James Murdoch buys Vox.com and New York magazine<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Looking ahead:<\/strong> Local news coverage of AI data centers<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Chart of the week:<\/strong> Half of adults under 50 get information from health and wellness influencers<\/li>\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udd25\u00a0<strong>Featured story<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Google <\/strong>is making <a href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2026\/05\/19\/google-search-as-you-know-it-is-over\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">major changes to its search experience<\/a>. Instead of offering the familiar list of links that has existed for decades, queries will sometimes place users into an <strong>interactive AI-powered interface<\/strong> where they can engage directly with responses and ask follow-up questions. These updates also will implement <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/cmo-today\/google-pushes-ai-generated-ads-further-into-search-results-6b478d83\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">new advertising formats<\/a>, including ads with AI features that <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/google-tests-new-conversational-ad-formats-in-ai-mode-and-search-478115\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">allow users to interact with them<\/a>.<br><br><strong>Many Americans already encounter AI-generated summaries in their search results, but views on their value are mixed. <\/strong>Last August, <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2025\/10\/01\/americans-have-mixed-feelings-about-ai-summaries-in-search-results\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a Pew Research Center survey<\/a> found that 65% of U.S. adults (including an even larger majority of younger adults) said they had at least sometimes come across these summaries. Among those who had encountered AI search summaries, one-in-five said they found them extremely or very useful, and <strong>6% said they trusted the information in these summaries a lot.<\/strong><br><br>Search engines like Google are a <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/fact-sheet\/news-platform-fact-sheet\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">common way many Americans get news<\/a>: 63% of U.S. adults say they at least sometimes get news this way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udccc\u00a0<strong>In other news<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\n<li><strong>James Murdoch,<\/strong> son of Rupert Murdoch, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/business\/2026\/05\/20\/news-industry-scion-james-murdoch-buys-new-york-magazine-vox\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">buys Vox.com<\/a> and New York magazine<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Anderson Cooper<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2026\/tv\/news\/anderson-cooper-60-minutes-signs-off-20-years-1236752007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">departs 60 Minutes<\/a> after 20 years as the program <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/media\/2026\/may\/16\/cbs-bari-weiss-60-minutes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">faces possible changes<\/a> under <strong>Bari Weiss<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>The New York Times<\/strong> files second lawsuit against <strong>Pentagon<\/strong> over <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/pentagon-press-access-new-york-times-lawsuit-df3330d202a87f41f25effc9ab96abab\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">alleged First Amendment violations<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li>New <strong>BBC<\/strong> director general <strong>Matt Brittin<\/strong> warns about <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2026\/tv\/global\/matt-brittin-bbc-director-general-first-day-tough-choices-1236752178\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">upcoming cost-cutting measures<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>NPR<\/strong> announces <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/05\/18\/nx-s1-5821622\/npr-buyouts-layoffs-reorganization\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">cuts and buyouts amid newsroom reorganization<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>The Economist <\/strong>tests <a href=\"https:\/\/digiday.com\/media\/the-economist-prepares-for-a-two-track-internet-one-for-humans-and-one-for-ai-agents\/?utm_campaign=digidaydis&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_source=general-rss\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">two versions of its website<\/a>: one for humans and one for AI<\/li>\n\n\n<li>A <strong>local news outlet<\/strong> in Florida was <a href=\"https:\/\/floridatrib.org\/2026\/05\/14\/the-rise-and-fall-of-an-ai-driven-local-news-outlet-in-south-florida\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">revealed to be created by AI<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li>Hundreds of<strong> local news outlets<\/strong> are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.niemanlab.org\/2026\/05\/more-than-340-local-news-outlets-are-limiting-the-internet-archives-access-to-their-journalism\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">limiting web archiving service&#8217;s access<\/a> to their sites due to AI concerns<\/li>\n\n\n<li>The archived <strong>FiveThirtyEight<\/strong> website now redirects to ABC News, leading to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/05\/16\/business\/media\/fivethirtyeight-abc-removed.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">thousands of articles disappearing<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/culture\/infinite-scroll\/your-friendly-neighborhood-newsletter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">look at the rise<\/a> of <strong>hyperlocal neighborhood newsletters<\/strong><\/li>\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udcc5\u00a0<strong>Looking ahead<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As <strong>data centers <\/strong>needed to power AI continue to pop up around the country, <strong>local journalists<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.poynter.org\/reporting-editing\/2026\/how-to-report-local-data-center\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">can play a key role<\/a> in sharing information about their impacts on communities, including local environments and economies. But the struggles of local news outlets in many areas also create <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cjr.org\/feature\/ai-data-centers-local-news-deserts-meta-openai-texas-new-mexico.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">challenges in covering a complicated but important story<\/a>, and Americans\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/fact-sheet\/local-news-fact-sheet\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">attention to local news<\/a> has declined in recent years.<br><br>A quarter of Americans say they\u2019ve heard or read a lot about data centers, while half say they have heard a little and a quarter have heard nothing at all, according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2026\/03\/12\/how-americans-view-data-centers-impact-in-key-areas-from-the-environment-to-jobs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2026 Center survey<\/a>. <strong>Americans who have heard more about data centers hold more negative views of their effects.<\/strong><br><br><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2026\/04\/13\/most-new-data-centers-in-the-us-are-coming-to-rural-areas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Another analysis<\/a> found that <strong>most planned data centers in the U.S. are coming to rural areas.<\/strong> A <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2019\/04\/12\/for-many-rural-residents-in-u-s-local-news-media-mostly-dont-cover-the-area-where-they-live\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2018 survey<\/a> found that rural Americans are less likely to say local news media cover the area where they live.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udcca\u00a0<strong>Chart of the week<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This week\u2019s chart comes from a recent <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/data-labs\/2026\/05\/07\/moms-coaches-doctors-entrepreneurs-who-are-americas-health-and-wellness-influencers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pew Research Center report<\/a> on health and wellness influencers. An October 2025 survey found that four-in-ten U.S. adults get information from health and wellness influencers on social media or podcasts, with younger adults especially likely to do this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e0e3e6\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e0e3e6;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"620\" height=\"814\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/05\/PL_2026.05.07_wellness-influencers_0-01_fd6559.png?resize=480,630 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/05\/PL_2026.05.07_wellness-influencers_0-01_fd6559.png?resize=620,814 620w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/05\/PL_2026.05.07_wellness-influencers_0-01_fd6559.png\" alt=\"Half of adults under 50 get information from health and wellness influencers\" class=\"wp-image-306107 not-transparent\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\ud83d\udc4b That&#8217;s all for this week.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Briefing is compiled by Pew Research Center staff, including Naomi Forman-Katz, Christopher St. Aubin, Emily Tomasik, Joanne Haner, and Sawyer Reed. It is edited by Michael Lipka and copy edited by David Kent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Do you like this newsletter? Email us at\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:info@pewresearch.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">info@pewresearch.org<\/a> or fill out this <a href=\"https:\/\/us1.list-manage.com\/survey?u=434f5d1199912232d416897e4&amp;id=449f3c3d35&amp;attribution=false\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/us1.list-manage.com\/survey?u=434f5d1199912232d416897e4&amp;id=449f3c3d35&amp;attribution=false\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">two-question survey<\/a> to tell us what you think<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u2600\ufe0f Happy Thursday!\u00a0The Briefing is your guide to the world of news and information. Sign up here! In today\u2019s email: \ud83d\udd25\u00a0Featured story Google is making major changes to its search experience. Instead of offering the familiar list of links that has existed for decades, queries will sometimes place users into an interactive AI-powered interface where [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":5674,"template":"","meta":{"sub_headline":"","sub_title":"","_prc_public_revisions":[],"_ppp_expiration_hours":0,"_ppp_enabled":false,"wpai_generated_summary":"","prc_watchers":[],"footnotes":"","prc_email_subject":"Google announces changes to search","prc_email_preview_text":"Plus, James Murdoch buys Vox and New York magazine","prc_email_template_slug":"","prc_email_mailchimp_audience_id":"","prc_email_mailchimp_segment_id":"","prc_email_mailchimp_campaign_id":"","prc_email_mailchimp_campaign_admin_url":"","prc_email_mailchimp_campaign_status":"","prc_email_mailchimp_pending_send_at":"","prc_email_mailchimp_delayed_send_cancelled":""},"categories":[],"bylines":[],"prc_newsletter_list":[3083],"_post_visibility":[2643],"formats":[],"workflow-status":[],"class_list":["post-311624","prc_email_campaign","type-prc_email_campaign","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","_post_visibility-hidden-on-index"],"label":"Newsletter","post_parent":0,"word_count":634,"canonical_url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/newsletter\/the-briefing\/google-announces-changes-to-search\/","charts":[],"art_direction":{"A1":{"id":"5674","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=564&h=317&crop=1","width":564,"height":317,"chartArt":false},"A2":{"id":"5674","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=268&h=151&crop=1","width":268,"height":151,"chartArt":false},"A3":{"id":"5674","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=194&h=110&crop=1","width":194,"height":110,"chartArt":false},"A4":{"id":"5674","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=268&h=151&crop=1","width":268,"height":151,"chartArt":false},"XL":{"id":"5674","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=720&h=405&crop=1","width":720,"height":405,"chartArt":false},"social":{"id":"5674","rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2023\/07\/briefing_featured_image_2-1.png?w=1200&h=628&crop=1","width":1200,"height":628,"chartArt":false}},"_embeds":[],"prc_checklist":{},"watchChildPosts":false,"watchers":[],"table_of_contents":[],"datacite_doi":"","prc_seo_data":{"title":"Google announces changes to Search","description":"\u2600\ufe0f Happy Thursday!\u00a0The Briefing is your guide to the world of news and information. 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