On May 10, 2023, Google announced that users can now sign up to test its highly anticipated AI-powered update to Google Search which promises to be a more visual, “snackable,” personal, and human experience. In this blog, we’ll go over what the new search experience looks like and how it works.
What the Google Search Generative Experience Looks Like
In a preview of the new search experience, Google shared a screenshot of the AI-generated answers being shown above search results. Google also explicitly labels these answers as experimental Generative AI, followed by the relevant response to the query.
As shown in the screenshot above, the AI-generated answer is presented in a distinct box, accompanied by the websites used as references to generate the answer. Users can click on these websites to delve deeper into the information provided. Alternatively, they can ask additional questions or use the toggle button at the top right corner for a more extensive exploration.
Vertical Search with AI
The new search experience works for vertical search experiences such as Google Shopping results. Leveraging the vast Google Shopping Graph, which contains 35 billion product listings and updates every hour, the generative AI rapidly updates to provide relevant answers in almost real-time.
For instance, when searching for specific types of products like Bluetooth speaker for a pool party Google SGE can offer valuable recommendations on which products to consider, revolutionizing the product discovery process.
Google also announced at the annual Google Marketing Live 2023 conference that they were experimenting with directly integrating search and shopping ads within the AI snapshot and conversational mode.
Conversation Mode
Incorporating a conversation mode, the new Google Search Generative Experience allows users to provide additional details or prompts in the “Ask a follow up” box. Based on the context carried over from previous questions, the AI generates follow-up answers to support a natural exploration process. Furthermore, Google includes helpful jumping-off points to web content and a range of perspectives, facilitating a comprehensive understanding of the topic.
This conversation mode proves especially useful for follow-up questions, complex inquiries, or evolving information journeys, as Google’s AI understands the relationship between related queries and adjusts the reformulated query accordingly.
How Google Search Generative Experience Works
The new search experience harnesses a variety of Language and Learning Models (LLMs), including MUM and PaLM2, to deliver its remarkable capabilities. Google has purposefully trained these models to excel in search-specific tasks, such as identifying high-quality web results that support the information presented in the output.
Final Thoughts
Google’s SGE presents a distinctive search experience that sets it apart from Google’s previous iterations. Notably, Google has made improvements in linking to publishers, aiming to drive traffic to their websites, which sets it apart from Google Bard.
Google has yet to comment on when SGE will be released to the public and is actively seeking user feedback to make adjustments before officially launching.
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