Google: AI search starts as an experiment

Google: AI search starts as an experiment

San Francisco, 5/11/2023

Google is testing generative AI capabilities in its search engine by adding „AI snapshots“ of important information at the top of search results. The experimental snapshots are responses to requests from across the open web.

Google is experimenting with generative AI in search to answer questions, create summaries and provide follow-up questions and links to relevant web content.

Launched at yesterday’s I/O conference, the new AI search capabilities are generated by Google’s major language models, including PaLM 2 and MUM, and pulled from the open web.

AI search begins as an experiment in Google’s new Search Labs, where users can test it and provide feedback. To try out the AI Snapshots, USERS must opt into a new feature called Search Generative Experience (SGE) as part of the Search Labs feature.

Search Labs is now open for logins and available in the US on the Chrome desktop and Google app (Android and iOS).

The AI snapshots will be available to Labs users in the “coming weeks”.

In addition to AI in search, Google presented a number of other AI functions at its I/O conference today. Here is the short list:

Google unveiled PaLM 2, its latest large language model that powers AI capabilities across 25 different products and features. The model is the driving force behind Google’s revamped Bard chat tool, which competes with OpenAI’s ChatGPT. PaLM 2 now offers enhanced support for writing and debugging code and can also be run natively on smartphones in a lightweight version.

In another update, Google announced that Bard’s responses now include images and are adding graphics creation and editing capabilities through a partnership with Adobe. Bard can now help with things like generating and debugging code and explaining code snippets. Google has made the no-waitlist chat tool available in English in over 180 countries.

Google will launch Help Me Write, a generative AI tool in Gmail that can write entire emails. Described as a „supercharged extension“ of Smart Compose, the tool for Gmail on mobile can draw on past messages for context.

Google Workspace also includes AI-powered automatic table creation in Spreadsheets and image creation in Slides and Meet. Google has also rebranded its generative AI tools to „Duet AI“ across all Workspace apps. Features include Sidekick, which can read, summarize, and answer questions about documents across Google apps. Duet AI is not yet available to the public. However, people can register.