Show HN: Google started to (quietly) insert (self) ads into Gemini output

4 pointsrdslw1mo ago1 comments

I was using today a Gemini (3.1 pro), and had a long conversation about mobile operators offering on gemini.google.com. In one of the replies, completely out of context (topic), gemini added: "By the way, to have access to all features, please enable Gemini Apps Activity." Last three words were a link to https://myactivity.google.com/product/gemini.

:-O

NB: 1. this conversation was not about google/activities, etc. completely other topic.

2. I do not have app activity enabled

3. Google in many different places try convince users to allow them to have history and data (app activity).

4. I dont know if this is a result of training, or text insertion via API, nevertheless it was directly within paragraph of other text (response) generated by the gemini (sic!)

We, discuss ads by openai, but here is in big black letters, one of the googles dark pattern directly in model response.

BTW: gemini pro 3.1 really nailed this task and provided a lot of useful information.

1 comments

verdverm1mo ago

That seems more like an awareness link to a page where users can adjust their activity history settings and delete individual items or all at once.

Where do you see the inserted ad? (as conveyed by the submission's title)

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