Google’s AI-powered Search Generative Experience (SGE_ is receiving a significant enhancement: the inclusion of images and videos. For users who have activated the AI-based SGE feature within Search Labs, the summary box at the top of search results will now show a richer multimedia experience.
According to a report by The Verge, Google is actively working on expediting the appearance of this summary box and enhancing the contextual information provided alongside the links featured within it.
Although SGE is currently in an experimental phase, it unmistakably signifies the future direction of Google Search. Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet, emphasized this during the recent earnings call, stating, “It truly offers us the opportunity to break free from the previous limitations of search functionality. It encourages us to explore innovative approaches.” Pichai further articulated that “over time, this will become the standard operation of search.”
The report states that Google is now not solely focused on curating relevant links for every search; its goal extends to synthesizing and generating accurate, valuable information. The integration of video content, particularly from YouTube, offers significant potential.
Over the years, Google has increasingly integrated YouTube videos into search results, pinpointing specific chapters or moments within videos to address day-to-day queries.
Effective presentation and contextualization of links remain imperative for SGE’s success. Google has introduced a feature to display publication dates alongside the three articles featured in the summary box, aiding users in gauging the recency of information from these web pages. Additionally, there have been indications of experimentation with in-line links within the AI-generated summary, although this aspect seems to be in a testing phase. Striking the right equilibrium between providing sought-after information and assisting users in discovering it themselves is a perennial challenge within the realm of Google Search.
Improving the speed of SGE will be an ongoing effort for Google. Presently, SGE’s speed remains suboptimal, often being the last element to load on a page by a substantial margin. In the context of search, even milliseconds matter significantly. Google announced a 50% reduction in loading time for SGE in June.
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Updated: 08 Aug 2023, 10:58 AM IST
