Google has recently launched a new AI search engine, that aims to make it easier for users to get answers to their questions right on the Google search page. Unlike a traditional Google search, which will populate a list of blue links, the AI-powered engine known as SGE can generate a response right away. SGE will be able to rapidly find information from relevant websites and sources, and it will even offer follow-up questions to the user to get more specific results.
Currently, SGE is only open to a limited number of people in the US and can only be used in English, but it is possible to put your name on the waitlist. Search Labs, which is the platform from where SGE can be used, is only available through the Chrome desktop web browser or the Android and iOS Google apps.
SGE is powered by a large language model (LLM) which can generate sentences of text from a massive set of data, allowing it to sound almost human-like. This technology is similar to the one powering OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Bing, as well as Google’s Bard, another AI chatbot. Although this technology is incredibly powerful and fast, Google has warned users not to rely on it for any medical, legal, financial or other professional services as there could be accuracy issues or “hallucinations” present when it generates an answer.
Collectively, with the introduction of ChatGPT in late last year, and the added AI features to their products, many companies have taken a step towards understanding more of the public’s interest in generative AI technology. During the Google I/O presentation earlier this month, Cathy Edwards, the Vice President of Engineering, talked about how SGE could take complex queries and answer them quickly and efficiently on the search page, saving people time and effort sorting through websites manually.
If you would like to be one of the first to test out this new feature, join the waitlist for Search Labs. Google will send you an email as soon as Labs become available. It is important to note that data collected by SGE may be analysed by human reviewers, and should not include any confidential or sensitive information that could identify the user. The data will also be stored in a manner unassociated with the user’s Google account and can be deleted from the My Activity page.
With the addition of SGE and LLM, Google is making large strides to make interacting with technology increasingly easier and more efficient for those who use it. While generative AI technology is incredibly powerful, it is important to use it with discretion, and Google has done an excellent job Alerting users of potential accuracy issues that could arise.
