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Google’s new search experience, which uses AI and came out in May, may have been met with mixed reactions. But the search giant isn’t slowing down its feature plan because of this.
Google revealed today that it is adding new travel and shopping features to Search Generative Experience (SGE), the name for its experimental search experience. Some of these features were shown off at Google’s I/O conference.
Now, when a Google Search user asks a question about a place or destination (like, “Is this restaurant good for big groups? “), they will see a picture that includes information from all over the web as well as reviews, photos, and business profile information sent in by the business owners themselves. And when they are shopping for a product, like Bluetooth speakers, SGE will show them things to think about along with product descriptions, reviews, ratings, prices, images, and suggestions.
The experiences remind me of search engines that use AI to compete, like You.com and Perplexity AI. But Rany Ng, Google’s Vice President of Search, says that they gain more than anyone else from Google’s private data, such as information about more than 200 million places and 35 billion product listings.
Ng wrote in a blog post this morning, “With this improved SGE experience, you’ll get useful insights to help you along the way, so you can spend less time planning and more time enjoying the plans you’ve made.” “Generative AI in Search can be especially helpful if you need to buy something that requires a lot of research before your summer trips.”
In a related statement, Google will soon start a new experiment called “Add to Sheets.” This will let users put search results right into spreadsheets and share them with friends, family, or anyone else they might be working with.
To use any of the new features, you will need to sign up for Google’s Search Labs, which is where new search tools are tested. It is only available in English in the United States right now.
