Google is giving users more direct control over what shows up in their feeds, unveiling a set of AI-powered personalization tools for Google Search, Discover and Google News on August 20, according to the company’s own announcement.
A chatbot that edits your feed
The centerpiece is a new AI chatbot built into Discover. Users can tap the three-dot menu on any item in their feed and describe, in plain language, which topics they want to see more or less of. The chatbot can ask follow-up questions to narrow the request, and Google says the feed adjusts right away and remembers the preference for later sessions. The feature is rolling out over the coming days, following a period of internal testing that started last year.
A button for publishers, too
Alongside the chatbot, Google introduced a “Preferred Sources” button that publishers can embed on their own pages. Readers who click it get more of that outlet’s coverage surfaced in Top Stories, AI Overviews and AI Mode. Google says more than 600,000 individual sources have already been selected by users through the button since it started rolling out.
Curated audio briefings
A third addition lets users build customized audio news briefings inside the Google News app on Android, picking specific topics to hear about. Each briefing keeps source attribution and links back to the original articles.
“Whether you’re following big global headlines or exploring niche local interests, it should be easy to find the sources and topics that matter most to you,” Google said in its announcement.
Why now
The rollout comes as AI-powered search increasingly competes with traditional link-based results for people’s attention, and follows other recent moves to weave AI deeper into Google’s core products, including the free AI Pro study tools it added to Search for students. It also lands weeks after the EU ordered Google to open Android and Search data to rival AI assistants — a reminder that this personalization push is unfolding alongside growing regulatory pressure over how Google controls search and discovery data.
Google says personalization data is handled under its standard privacy policy and that users can opt out.