Google rolls out new AI overview features in search, but key questions remain unanswered
Google is upgrading its AI-generated search summaries, known as “AI Overviews,” which were introduced in May. The company says it is rolling out several new features to improve the user experience and functionality.
The updates include a redesigned layout for web links, the ability to save AI summaries, and an option to simplify the language used in these overviews. Advertisements will appear above or below the AI-generated content.
One significant change is the display of web links associated with AI summaries. On desktop, these links now appear in a separate section on the right side of the screen. Mobile users can access them via icons in the top-right corner. Google is also experimenting with embedding links to relevant websites directly within the summary text.
According to Google, early data suggests that integrating links directly into AI overviews increases traffic to the linked pages. However, this increase is likely in comparison to the previous AI overview format, not to traditional search results.
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Google’s emphasis on linking stems from criticism that AI answer engines could disrupt the existing web ecosystem by acting as a substitute for traditional search, which is more focused on redirecting traffic rather than answering questions.
So far, no provider of such systems has presented a viable solution for maintaining a content ecosystem where chatbots use website content without significantly reducing direct site visits. Google CEO Sundar Pichai, in a recent interview with The Verge, seemed clueless when confronted with near exact copies of website content that had been “recreated” by Google’s AI overviews.
Some companies like Perplexity and OpenAI pay select publishers for their content, but this approach creates an imbalance and potentially threatens media diversity.
Google is also testing additional AI search features in its “Search Labs,” including the option to save specific AI overviews for later access. This allows users to see the same overview when repeating a search query, making it easier to revisit information and links. Another new feature being tested is the ability to simplify the language in certain AI overviews.
Google AI Overviews launch in more countries
Google is expanding the availability of AI Overviews to the UK, India, Japan, Indonesia, Mexico and Brazil, with support for local languages. The rollout will be phased in over several weeks.
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The company claims that user tests show a preference for searching with AI Overviews, with users finding the results more helpful. In Google’s tests, adoption was particularly high among younger users between the ages of 18 and 24.
Google’s AI overviews have been criticized for potentially infringing on copyrights, as they are created without the consent of site owners, except for Reddit. Concerns have also been raised about the potential for incorrect information in these summaries, with no clear accountability for such errors.
The same goes for Perplexity, OpenAI’s SearchGPT or Microsoft’s latest Bing experiments, which appear to be an almost identical copy of Google’s AI Overviews approach.
