Google has announced that it has expanded how its Search tool will work with the help of Generative Artificial Intelligence.
The Vice-President of Search, Elizabeth Reid, disclosed that the firm had been testing how generative AI’s ability to understand natural language made it possible to ask questions on Search in a more natural way.
This is as she revealed two updates to its search tool, Circle to Search and an AI-powered multisearch experience.
Commenting on the circle to search, Reid said, “We unveiled Circle to Search, a new way to search anything on your Android phone screen without switching apps. With a simple gesture, you can select images, text or videos in whatever way comes naturally to you — like circling, highlighting, scribbling or tapping — and find the information you need right where you are.
“When something grabs your interest (like these adorable dog goggles!), it can be disruptive to stop what you’re doing and use another app or browser to start searching for information. But now, whether you’re texting friends, browsing social media or watching a video, you can search what’s on your screen right when your curiosity strikes.”
Explaining the firm’s other update, the Google executive stated: “Starting today, when you point your camera (or upload a photo or screenshot) and ask a question using the Google app, the new multisearch experience will show results with AI-powered insights that go beyond just visual matches.
“This gives you the ability to ask more complex or nuanced questions about what you see, and quickly find and understand key information.”
“AI-powered overviews on multisearch results are launching this week in English in the U.S. for everyone — no enrolment in Search Labs required. To get started, just look for the Lens camera icon in the Google app for Android or iOS. If you’re outside the U.S. and opted into SGE, you can preview this new experience in the Google app. You’ll also be able to access AI-powered overviews on multisearch results within Circle to Search”, she explained.
The firm noted that these two updates were the result of testing it began last year to see how gen AI could make Search more helpful.
It further stated that its goal was to make AI helpful for everyone, not just early adopters.
In 2023, Reid explained to www.fastcompany.com that Google was not in a hurry to integrate genAI to search.
She noted that after the firm launched Search Generative Experience, it learned that AI-generated text wasn’t always the best answer.
Reid stated that load times were still an issue, saying, “People’s lived experiences are so important. Most people aren’t willing to delegate their fashion choices to an AI bot—at least for some time to come.”
She added, “People keep raising the bar on what’s possible. I think generative AI is certainly a technology to answer more of those questions, but I also think we’ll continue to think about the fundamentals, of how you surface the highest-quality information.”
