Google Halts Experiment Generating AI Images for Recipe Results in Search

Search Engine Land reports that Google paused an experiment showing AI-generated images within AI Overviews for recipe results after pushback from recipe publishers. The feature created images summarizing cooking steps from prep to finish, prompting creators like Inspired Taste to argue it undercut their original photography and video work. Google VP Robby Stein confirmed the pause, clarifying it was distinct from the company's separately announced Nano Banana feature, which only generates images when users explicitly request them.