Google has sent a clear message to publishers and content creators: don’t rewrite your articles just to please AI systems or large language models.
Speaking on the company’s Search Off the Record podcast, Google’s Search Liaison Danny Sullivan said the company does not want creators to break their content into “bite-sized chunks” just to perform better in AI-driven search experiences.
According to Sullivan, this kind of optimization is short-sighted and likely to fail over time as Google’s systems continue to evolve.
“Write for People, Not for Machines”
Sullivan explained that Google’s long-standing philosophy has not changed: content should be written for real users, not for ranking systems — whether those systems are traditional search algorithms or new AI-powered tools.
He said Google does not want publishers to:
- Create separate versions of content (one for humans, one for AI)
- Rewrite articles purely to match how LLMs summarize or extract information
- Restructure pages just to chase temporary visibility in AI-generated answers
In his words, Google wants creators to focus on helping people first, trusting that ranking systems will eventually align with that goal.
Short-Term Gains, Long-Term Risk
Sullivan acknowledged that some publishers may already be seeing small, short-term gains by tailoring content to how AI systems consume information.
But he warned that this strategy is risky.
Search systems change. When they do, content that was built to exploit a specific ranking behavior may suddenly lose visibility — while content written naturally for humans is more likely to survive and benefit from future improvements.
His core argument:
Optimizing for today’s AI quirks instead of real readers is probably a waste of time and resources.
A Familiar Lesson From SEO — Now for AI Search
This advice mirrors what Google has said for years in traditional SEO:
- Chasing algorithm tricks doesn’t last
- Systems eventually adapt
- User-focused content wins in the long run
Now, the same logic is being applied to AI search, answer engines, and LLM-powered results.
In other words, Google does not want a future where the web is filled with content written for machines instead of people.
Why This Matters Now
With AI-generated answers becoming more common in search, many publishers are experimenting with:
- Ultra-short paragraphs
- Fragmented “snippet bait” content
- Over-structured, robotic formatting
Google is now signaling that this is not the direction it wants the web to go.
The Bottom Line
Google’s message is simple but important:
If you build your content for humans, you’ll be better positioned for whatever search and AI systems become in the future.
Trying to outsmart today’s AI models, Sullivan suggests, may only leave publishers chasing the next change tomorrow.
