Google Discover adds a chatbot-style tool to customize your feed

In short: Google is rolling out a new way to change your Google Discover feed by telling a chatbot what you want to see.

What happened

Google says it will soon let people customize their Google Discover feed by describing what they want, in their own words. The feature is rolling out to the Google app in the coming days.

Discover is the page of recommended articles you see in the Google app. Today, it mostly guesses what you might like based on your activity across Google, like searches and apps.

With the update, you can open the three-dot menu on the Discover feed and tap a new option that launches a chatbot-style screen. A chatbot is a text box that talks back like a customer service chat. You can type something like the kinds of topics you want more of, and it will confirm what it understood, and what it will prioritize. If it gets it wrong, you can add more details, then tap “Refresh your feed” to apply the changes.

Google says the system uses AI, which means software that tries to spot patterns and make choices, to adjust the feed and remember your preferences for next time.

Google also announced a separate change in the Google News app on Android. People will be able to personalize daily audio briefings by choosing which topics they want to hear.

Why it matters

For regular users, this could make Discover feel less like a mystery. It is more like telling a librarian what you want to read instead of hoping the right books show up on your table.

Source: The Verge AI