Google's "AI search" lifts the veil

Author: Bu Shuqing

Facing the aggressive ChatGPT version of Bing, Google finally came up with its own AI search killer.

On May 25 local time, **Google announced the opening of access to the AI search project Search Labs to test the new search function embedded with generative AI. **

Interested users can join the Search Labs waitlist and receive an email notification when it's their turn to begin testing the Search Generative Experience (SGE) feature.

SGE is the latest achievement of Google's integration of generative AI into the search experience, which was unveiled at the Google I/O 2023 annual developer conference earlier this month. According to Google, this feature can help users bypass some operations during the search process, understand new topics more easily, discover different perspectives, and "get work done more easily."

Technology media Engadget had experienced some of the latest features of SEG before, and found that **SGE is not much different from traditional Google search at first glance. **

This is because **SGE uses the familiar input field for Google veterans, rather than setting up a separate chatbot window like Bing. **

After a user asks a question, the generated AI results appear near the top of the page, in a shaded area below the search bar, above traditional search results.

Google calls it an AI-powered snapshot that contains "key information to consider, and links to dig deeper into."

Meanwhile, at the top right of the AI results there is a button to expand the snapshot, as well as a card showing the source article.

Finally, users can click a button below the results to ask follow-up questions.

Engadget reporters searched SGE for two questions: fun things to do in Frankfurt, Germany, and the best yoga poses for lower back pain.

Engadget found that**traditional search results were displayed almost immediately, and the AI area had a few seconds of loading animation before the results were displayed. **

When the expand button is clicked, the snapshot shows more questions and answers that SGE thinks might be relevant, including "Is Frankfurt worth visiting" and "Three days are enough to visit Frankfurt," along with search results for each question.

The answer to the second question is quite interesting. Not only does SGE show a list of suggested poses, extending the answer, but it also provides pictures in the original article, teaching the user how to perform each pose better.

Below the list is "If you have certain back problems, such as a fractured spine or a herniated disc," try not to do yoga. Further down the snap, there's also a list of poses, with the words "If you have lower back pain, don't do it."

Importantly, the very bottom of the snapshot included a note that read "Answers are for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or diagnosis."

In addition, **Google has also opened up access to other features of Search Labs, including Code Tips and Add to Sheets. **

**According to Google, Code Tips leverages the power of large language models to provide guidance for writing code faster and smarter. **

The feature allows developers to ask introductory questions about programming languages (C, C++, Go, Java, Java, Kotlin, Python, and TypeScript) and related tools (Docker, Git, shell) and algorithms.

**Add to Sheets allows users to insert search results directly into Google spreadsheets. The specific operation method is to click the Sheets icon on the left side of the search result to pop up a list of recently used files, and select the file that needs to be added to the search result. **

However, both of these features are currently limited to the United States, and users in other regions may have to wait a while to experience them.

If you haven't yet joined Search Labs' shortlist, you can click the lab icon that looks like a beaker on a new tab page in Chrome on your desktop, or open the Google Search app on Android or iOS.

However, Google has not yet announced how long it will take to expand the test, and users who want to experience the latest AI search features may need to wait patiently.