Google just updated its spam policies for its search engine, making it clear that its rules also apply to attempts to manipulate AI-generated results that show up in AI Overviews and AI Mode. The rules are meant to stop people from spamming or trying to game Google’s ranking system to get their content featured prominently in search results. But as Google increasingly embraces AI-generated responses, the company is now making clear that trying to influence those results also violates its policies. Search Engine Land first spotted the update Friday morning, noting that Google’s Search spam policies page had been quietly tweaked. “In the context of Google Search, spam refers to techniques used to deceive users or manipulate our Search systems into featuring content prominently, such as attempting to manipulate Search systems into ranking content highly or attempting to manipulate generative AI responses in Google Search,” the page now reads.…