Google, using AI to disrupt Google Search

Google launches AI search, leading the revolution of the search world order.

At the 2024 Google I/O developer conference held this week, Google announced the biggest update to its flagship product Google Search in 25 years, redefining the search experience by incorporating new AI features.

Analysts point out that Google's decision to integrate AI features into its most iconic and profitable product will be a "change in the search world order."

How will a search with AI capabilities be different? And how will it change web search?

Three major innovations in search mode

First and foremost is the AI-generated summary feature, called AI Overviews, which will appear at the top of search results.

For example, when searching "Where is the best place to see the aurora", Google's response will include an authoritative answer, such as "The best place is in the polar circle, where there is the least light pollution", followed by webpage links, and additional information descriptions like "Other places to see the aurora include the northwest regions of Russia and Canada."

At the same time, Google's search lead, Liz Reid, stated:

AI Overviews will not appear in every search result, but rather for relatively complex questions. Each time someone searches, Google evaluates the algorithm behind the scenes to determine whether to provide an AI-generated answer or traditional links, such as when searching for a shopping website, the website's URL will appear directly.

This feature will be rolled out to all Google search users in the U.S. this week. By the end of this year, this feature will be introduced to more countries, meaning over 1 billion people will be using Google AI search. It will also be available on all platforms, including the web, mobile devices, and as part of the search engine experience in browsers, such as people searching Google through Safari.

However, when the algorithm determines the answer a person needs instead of providing several links for them to click and read, the risk of search results becomes more significant, and Gemini is not completely immune to illusions.

Another major update in search is the feature of proactive planning.

For example, users can ask Google to create a meal plan for them, or find a Pilates studio nearby offering first-time discount classes. In the future search world, an AI agent can gather several studios nearby, summarize their reviews, and plan the time needed to walk there.

This is one of Google's most obvious advantages compared to early-stage search engines, which do not have Google's comments, map data, or other massive knowledge, and cannot easily access real-time or local information APIs. In addition, Google has launched an enhanced video search feature, similar to an upgraded version of Google Lens - you can use your phone camera to point at an object, such as a broken record player, and ask how to repair it.

This expands the boundaries of "search". Reid clearly stated that although most consumers think of Google search as one thing, in reality, it is different for people using different search methods.

Changing the Order of the Search World

Driven by AI technology, AI-driven categories like AI Overviews are replacing traditional searches and occupying a large part of the search space.

Research company Gartner predicted earlier this year:

By 2026, the search volume of traditional search engines will decrease by 25%, and more "agent" guided search methods will replace the traditional search engine's way of executing queries, where AI models retrieve and generate more direct answers.

Alan Antin, Vice President Analyst at Gartner, stated in a report that AI solutions are gradually replacing answer engines, replacing user queries that may have been executed in traditional search engines before, forcing companies to rethink their marketing channel strategies.

What does this mean for the online world? Jim Yu, President of BrightEdge, stated that this is a change in the order of the search world, and we are at a moment when everything in search is beginning to change with AI.

BrightEdge developed a "generation parser" eight months ago to monitor how searchers interact with generative results on the web. Yu mentioned that in the past month, the parser found that Google no longer frequently asks people if they "want" an answer, but more often assumes that they do. This means that users may be more inclined to interact with AI in search rather than being prompted to choose AI-generated results.

The changes in search also have a significant impact on Google's advertising business, which is its main source of revenue. Analysis indicates:

If Google provides more direct answers to searchers, people will conduct fewer and more refined searches, which may reduce Google's opportunities to display ads, and the types of ads displayed may also change with the development of AI tools.

Google stated that with these changes being rolled out, it will prioritize traffic for websites, creators, and businesses, but it has not revealed how it plans to achieve this.

Furthermore, Google describes the future search world as one where AI-generated concise answers will prompt people to delve deeper into ideas. While Google search still promises to put the world's information in the hands of users, it is now unclear who is really in control of the keyboard