Food bloggers are raising alarms over Google's AI-generated content, which they claim is diminishing the visibility of their Thanksgiving recipes. The bloggers argue that AI-generated "slop" is unfairly outranking their original content, spotlighting the growing tension between human creators and AI in search results.
Who should care: CMOs, marketing directors, SEO leads, content operations managers, demand generation teams, and marketing automation specialists.
What happened?
Food bloggers have recently voiced strong concerns that Google's AI-generated content is overshadowing their original Thanksgiving recipes, causing a noticeable drop in their search visibility. These bloggers argue that AI-produced articles—often dismissed as generic or low-quality "AI slop"—are unfairly outranking their carefully crafted, authentic recipes that typically experience a surge in traffic during the holiday season. This controversy highlights a broader challenge facing content creators: the increasing presence of large language models (LLMs) in organic search results and the resulting impact on the discoverability of human-generated content. The issue has sparked a wider debate about the fairness and quality of AI-generated content in search rankings. Content creators worry that their original work is being devalued as AI content floods search engine results pages (SERPs), potentially eroding the incentive to produce high-quality, unique material. Meanwhile, SEO professionals are being encouraged to stay ahead of these changes, as evidenced by an upcoming webinar focused on the 2026 AI Search Benchmark. This event underscores the urgency for SEO teams to rethink their key performance indicators (KPIs) and overall strategies to effectively navigate the evolving AI-driven search landscape. As AI technology advances, the balance between AI-generated and human-created content in search results becomes increasingly critical. The current situation serves as a call to action for marketers and SEO leaders to ensure that original content is not unfairly penalized or buried beneath AI-generated alternatives.Why now?
The timing of these concerns is particularly significant, coinciding with the Thanksgiving season—a peak period when food bloggers rely heavily on search traffic to drive engagement with their holiday recipes. Over the past 6 to 18 months, the integration of AI into search engines has accelerated rapidly, with LLMs growing more sophisticated and widespread. This swift evolution has disrupted traditional SEO tactics, forcing content creators and marketers to adapt quickly or risk losing visibility. As AI technology continues to mature and its influence on search algorithms deepens, the urgency for SEO professionals to address these changes has never been greater. Immediate attention is required to protect the visibility and relevance of original content during critical seasonal windows and beyond.So what?
This development carries significant implications for marketing and SEO professionals. As AI-generated content becomes more prominent in search results, SEO strategies must evolve to ensure that original, high-quality content remains competitive and discoverable. Understanding how AI influences search algorithms is now essential for crafting effective content strategies that maintain visibility and engagement.What this means for you:
- For SEO leads: Reevaluate and update your SEO strategies to incorporate AI dynamics, ensuring that original content continues to rank well.
- For content operations managers: Keep a close eye on AI-generated content trends and adjust your content creation workflows to maintain a competitive edge.
- For marketing directors: Allocate resources and training to deepen your team’s understanding of AI’s impact on search visibility and content performance.
Quick Hits
- Impact / Risk: AI-generated content risks overshadowing original content, potentially reducing visibility and traffic for human creators.
- Operational Implication: SEO and content strategies must adapt to the growing influence of AI in search results to sustain competitive advantage.
- Action This Week: Attend the 2026 AI Search Benchmark webinar; review your current SEO approaches; brief content teams on emerging AI trends.