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Light Dark Use Device Settings Advertise Contact Us Home / Google News / Google SEO / Google: Spam Policies Apply To AI Responses (AI Overviews & AI Mode) Google: Spam Policies Apply To AI Responses (AI Overviews & AI Mode) May 15, 2026 - 7:31 am 3 — by Barry SchwartzBarry Schwartz / Executive Editor
Barry Schwartz is the CEO of RustyBrick and a technologist, a New York Web service firm specializing in customized online technology that helps companies decrease costs and increase sales. Barry is also the founder of the Search Engine Roundtable and the News Editor of Search Engine Land. He is well known & respected for his expertise in the search marketing industry. He only provides consulting services to expert SEOs and also performs search marketing expert witness services. Barry graduated from the City University of New York and lives with his family in the NYC region. You can follow Barry on Twitter at @rustybrick or on LinkedIn and read his full bio over here. 38,413 Articles as barry.schwartz Filed Under Google Search Engine Optimization
Google updated the leading paragraph in the search spam policies to clarify that the policies apply to the Google Search AI responses, such as AI Overviews and AI Mode (or whatever else is AI-generated). Google said, "the Google Search spam policies also apply to generative AI responses in Google Search."
Google said it made this change because it wanted to make "it clear that the spam policies apply to all of Google Search, including generative AI responses."
What changed? The spam policies document now has this line:
In the context of Google Search, spam refers to techniques used to deceive users or manipulate our Search systems into featuring content prominently, such as attempting to manipulate Search systems into ranking content highly or attempting to manipulate generative Al responses in Google Search.
I bolded the new part, here it is as a screenshot (compare it to the Wayback machine):
So all those tips and tricks to get your brand and name in the AI Overviews or AI Mode, might be against Google's spam policies...
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