AI is coming to Google search results as part of a major push to monetize generative AI, and fend off some big-name rivals.
The search engine division of Alphabet Inc. on Thursday announced an AI-powered search upgrade as well as plans to bring the ability to search for information about live videos shot in its Google Lens app. Additionally, Google said it is bringing ads to its AI Overview to run alongside search results.
The flashiest move will make AI-organized search results that offer “content and perspectives from across the web,” the company said.
“You’ll now see a full-page experience, with relevant results organized just for you. You can easily explore content and perspectives from across the web including articles, videos, forums and more — all in one place,” Google said.
The Google Lens update, previewed at the company’s I/O developer conference in May, would let a user open the app, hold down the shutter button, and ask questions using voice about objects on screen. According to Google, about 20% of the 20 billion monthly Lens searches are shopping-related.
Ads appearing on AI Overview Google will deliver personalized ads alongside search results. The benefit for advertisers, the company said, would “meet consumer needs and forge stronger connections, while remaining firmly in the driver’s seat.” For example, someone searching for a new window would see tips on the proper installation as well as ads for windows.
Google’s infusion of visual search enhancements points to both its importance as a significant battleground in the AI race and the necessity of buffing up the company’s primary moneymaker, search, to keep users from jumping to competing products.
Google faces intensifying pressure from several companies on the search front.
On Friday, Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc. said it has created a new AI model, Movie Gen, capable of creating video with sound, rivaling ChatGPT maker OpenAI and ElevenLabs.
OpenAI just raised another $6.6 billion, hiking its market valuation to $157 billion. Another startup, Perplexity AI, a conversational search-engine company, is growing by leaps and bounds. The 2-year-old company in May said its installed base globally is more than 85 million web sites.
Apple Inc., meanwhile, is eyeing a late 2024 debut of its visual intelligence feature for iPhones with the new Camera Control button. Like Google Lens and Circle to Search, Apple’s visual intelligence will identify objects and places using a smartphone camera.
