Your Google searches will never be the same again: the 5 new AI features that will change everything

© Google

Google kicked off its I/O 2024 conference with a series of presentations related to artificial intelligence. And regarding the search engine, the firm finally decides to deploy the new version boosted with artificial intelligence. Here are the 5 new features announced by Google, which will transform the way you search online.

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1 – Google will Google it for you

Generally, when we have a question, we enter a query on Google Search. We open one or more sites, then gather the most relevant information to obtain an answer. But, thanks to generative AI, the new version of Google can answer your questions without you having to browse the web. In the example given by Google, the user asks how to clean a fabric sofa. Instead of only displaying links to tutorials, Google's AI will generate an answer to these questions.

© Google

And there will even be a setting that allows you to have more detailed, more concise answers, etc. However, Google Search will continue to display links. But these links to websites will coexist with the responses that have been generated by artificial intelligence. In fact, Google explains that website links get more clicks when presented in these AI-generated responses. “As we expand this experience, we will continue to focus on sending valuable traffic to publishers and creators,” also assures Google.

As a reminder, these AI-generated responses had already been tested by Google for a while, via its Search Labs program. But starting today, this new experience is coming to everyone in the United States. And Google says it will be available in other countries “soon”.

2 – Several searches summarized in one prompt

Thanks to its Gemini model, Google is also capable of processing very complex searches, and presenting results that allow the user to save a lot of time. Google calls this multi-step reasoning ability. Concretely, it will be possible to send a request like: “find the best yoga or Pilates studios in Boston and show me details of their offers introduction and walking time from Beacon Hill”.

AI will be able to summarize the requested elements on a list, with all the requested information (introductory offers and walking time). On an old-fashioned search engine, you would have had to find out about each item on the list, and probably browse the websites or pages of each studio.

However, at this time, this multi-step reasoning capability is still only available through the Search Labs test program, and only in the United States.

3 – Google, the master of planning

Users will also be able to ask Google to organize their lives. Indeed, thanks to the planning functionality, it will be possible to ask things like “create a 3-day meal plan for an easy-to-prepare group”. In response to this query, the search engine will present lists of recipes, which the user can personalize and then export to Google Docs or Gmail.

And if the example given by the firm concerns meals, it plans to extend the functionality to other activities, such as parties or physical activity. However, like multi-step reasoning, this feature is still only offered in the United States, through the Search Labs testing program.

4 – Thematic search results

Otherwise, thanks to AI and a better understanding of information, Google is preparing a new organization of results for certain research. “Soon, when you search for ideas, search will use generative AI to brainstorm with you and create an AI-curated results page that makes exploration easier. You'll see useful results categorized under unique AI-generated headlines, featuring a wide range of perspectives and content types,” says the firm.