Google Autocomplete search predictions
Featured on Google Search and YouTube, Autocomplete is an AI-based system designed to help users complete searches faster and more accurately by predicting keywords and phrases based on what other people look for.
Autocomplete started as an experimental feature in 2004, and was publicly released in 2008 as Google Suggest. Google Suggest was renamed Autocomplete in 2010.
Risks and harms
Google has a number of systems to prevent Autocomplete predictions that are unhelpful, unexpected, or unreliable, or that violate Google Search’s policies. However, Autocomplete has been in the spotlight many times for the risks it poses and the harms it causes.
These include its ability to generate inaccurate, untrue, inappropriate, offensive, biased, unethical, and illegal search predictions that variously result in the manipulation of end users, religious and other forms of discrimination, emotional distress and anxiety, loss of privacy, and defamation, amongst others.
Google has also been castigated for perceived inadequate transparency about how Autocomplete works, and for persistently claiming that it is not legally responsible for harms it may have or has caused.
Incidents
Google Autocomplete is reported to have driven, or been involved in, the following negative events:
Google Autocomplete amplifies Texas massacre Antifa conspiracy
Google Autocomplete associates Italian businessman with 'fraud'
Google Autocomplete, Related Search reveal rape victims' names
Google Autocomplete links Australian health researcher to false blackmail accusations
Google Search, Autocomomplete link Australian music promoter to criminal underworld
Google Autocomplete suggests Australian surgeon is 'bankrupt'
Google Autocomplete unfairly links German businessman to Scientology
Google Autocomplete conflates Bettina Wulff with 'prostitute'
Google Autocomplete says Rupert Murdoch, Jon Hamm are 'Jewish'
Google Autocomplete falsely associates Japanese man with crimes
Operator: Alphabet/Google/YouTube
Developer: Alphabet/Google/YouTube
Country: Argentina; Australia; France; Germany; Hong Kong; Italy; Japan; UK; USA
Sector: Banking/financial services; Business/professional services; Health; Media/entertainment/sports/arts; Politics; Private - individual; Retail
Purpose: Predict search results
Technology: NLP/text analysis; Deep learning; Machine learning
Issue: Accuracy/reliability; Bias/discrimination; Emotional distress/anxiety; Mis/disinformation; Legal; Privacy; Safety
Transparency: Governance; Black box; Complaints/appeals; Legal; Marketing
System
Wikipedia. Autocomplete
Google (2020). How Google autocomplete predictions are generated
Google (2018). How Google autocomplete works in Search
Google Patents. Predictive algorithm for search box auto-complete
Google. Report a legal removal issue
Research, advocacy
Al-Rawi, A., Celestini, C., Stewart, N., Worku, N. (2022). How Google Autocomplete Algorithms about Conspiracy Theorists Mislead the Public
Roy S., Ayalon L. (2020). Age and Gender Stereotypes Reflected in Google's "Autocomplete" Function: The Portrayal and Possible Spread of Societal Stereotypes
News, commentary, analysis
https://searchengineland.com/how-google-autocomplete-works-390257
https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-query-completions-patent/420520/
https://www.businessinsider.com/bizarre-google-autocomplete-suggestions-2013-12
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2013/12/the-strange-politics-of-google-autocomplete-100808/
https://algorithmwatch.org/en/auto-completion-disinformation/
https://www.wired.com/story/google-autocomplete-vile-suggestions/
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20131106-is-google-autocomplete-evil
Page info
Type: System
Published: August 2023