Google adds AI chatbot to customize Discover feeds

Google is introducing an AI-powered customization feature to its Discover feed, allowing users to shape their content recommendations using natural language. Rolling out to the Google app in the coming days, the update integrates a chatbot-style interface that automatically adjusts the feed and remembers user preferences for future visits. Users can access this tool through the three-dot menu on their Discover feed, where they can describe what they want to see, review the chatbot's prioritized content categories, and refine the settings before refreshing their feed.

Alongside the Discover update, Google announced two other personalization features. The Google News app on Android now allows users to customize their daily audio briefings by selecting specific topics they want to hear. Additionally, Google is updating its Preferred Sources feature, which highlights favored outlets across Google Search's "top stories" section, AI Overviews, and AI Mode. Publishers can now place an interactive "Preferred Sources" button directly on their websites, enabling readers to add the publication to their preference list without leaving the page.

For digital publishers and SEO practitioners, these updates represent a significant shift in how audiences discover and consume content. The introduction of a chatbot-tuned feed means that traditional algorithmic optimization must now contend with direct, conversational user intent. Furthermore, the new "Preferred Sources" button gives publishers a direct mechanism to secure a permanent spot in a user's personalized search ecosystem, potentially mitigating the traffic volatility associated with standard search algorithm updates.