Searching for the truth? search engines and their AI affordances’ responses to conspiratorial search practices

Abstract

Search engines are a common pathway to conspiracy theories, and producers of conspiratorial narratives actively encourage users to search for particular terms. Understanding how search engines respond to different information-seeking practices is therefore essential for explaining the dynamics of online conspiracy theories. Existing audits of search engines rarely account for systematic variation in query formulation arising from users’ differing levels of engagement with conspiratorial beliefs, nor do they consider recently introduced AI-powered search features. To address this gap, we developed search query sets informed by conspiratorial and non-conspiratorial information-seeking practices of online forums, using the chemtrails and 15-minute cities conspiracy theories as case studies. We performed algorithmic audits of Google's first-page search results and AI Overview responses. Our findings show substantial differences in the information returned for queries representative of general public information seeking compared with those reflecting conspiratorial perspectives. These differences appear to arise partly from Google's efforts to moderate sensitive topics, but also from the limitations of those interventions in recognising and responding to conspiratorial modes of query formulation. AI Overviews likewise vary according to query framing and generally attempt to debunk conspiratorial claims. However, these responses are often brief, provide limited supporting evidence, and are less effective for the newer 15-minute cities conspiracy theory, suggesting that current AI-mediated search guardrails remain uneven and require further development.