Google search engine gains AI functions

The advancement of Artificial Intelligence is already a fact and, therefore, it is not surprising to see how it is being implemented in more and more solutions. Google itself had already prophesied about a year ago that it would play a fundamental role in internet searches, and now this is increasingly real.

During the I/O 2024 developer conference that took place yesterday (14), the company launched AI Overviews, or AI Visions, in free translation. This function, which was previously known as Search Generative Experience (SGE), adds more layers to your search engine using AI, promising more effectiveness and faster results.

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Google searches enhanced with Artificial Intelligence

Initially, AI Visions are only being released to users in the USA, but the company promised that they will soon also reach users around the world.

According to Liz Reid, Google’s newly installed head of Search, AI is taking on an increasingly central role in the search process. By automating tedious and complex tasks like summarizing information and organizing results, AI is freeing users to focus on what really matters, which is finding answers to their questions and discovering new horizons of knowledge.

According to her, “AI Visions” are just the beginning of this revolution. Google is implementing a series of AI-powered features that promise to change the way we interact with its search platforms.

These new features allow, for example, searching through videos, or even asking for automatic generation of travel itineraries or even more specific places to eat. For example, the new way of organizing results can facilitate a search for a restaurant, as it will list a selection of options whether the user wants a romantic dinner or a business lunch.

In this way, Google is transforming its search engine into an intelligent personal assistant, capable of understanding and meeting users’ needs quickly and efficiently. This “AI-ification” happens thanks to Gemini, which can discover what the user is asking about, whether typing, speaking or even photos and videos.

Gemini is being used in a new specialized model for this purpose, capable of summarizing results from the internet and showing more direct answers and even designing and populating the results page to be more effective.

But this also does not mean that AI will be present in all searches. When it’s something simpler, for example someone wanting to access the Walmart website, just type the name of the store into Google and the website will soon appear in the results as it currently does, without needing AI to do so. According to Redi, this new feature will be useful in more complex searches, such as those that require several different searches.

An example she gives is in relation to local and place searches.

“We can do things like ‘Find the best yoga or pilates studio in Boston with a rating above four stars within a half-hour walk of Beacon Hill.’ You might also want details on which offers the best deals for beginners. And so you can get combined information, through the Knowledge Graph and across the web, and bring it all together.”

Challenges ahead and promising future

But, of course, a large-scale implementation of AI in search also has its challenges. Liz Reid highlights the importance of finding the right balance between creativity and factuality when training AI models. While AI can simplify many tasks, ensuring the accuracy of information is crucial to maintaining user trust.

Additionally, Google faces the challenge of ensuring that the implementation of AI does not compromise the diversity and quality of information sources available on the web. While AI can facilitate access to relevant information, it is also important to ensure that users are directed to sources that are trustworthy and authoritative on the subject.

However, despite these challenges, the implementation of AI in search promises to revolutionize the way we interact with the internet. By allowing users to ask questions more naturally and get answers more quickly and accurately, Google is opening the door to a future where internet search becomes a more intuitive and personalized experience.

Fonte: The Verge