Leak Explains How Google Will Integrate AI Into Search
- Paul Thurrott
- May 07, 2023
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Citing Google internal documents and multiple sources, The Wall Street Journal reports that Google will soon integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) into Search. Doing so will result in the single biggest change to Google’s core consumer-facing service in its history.
According to the report, Google’s current Search strategy is known informally as “10 blue links” because the company’s goal is to answer any query within the first 10 search results, or what publishers refer to as “above the fold,” meaning that users won’t have to keep scrolling to find what they need.
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Under the new strategy, Google will continue trying to present as much useful information as possible above the fold, but the view will be more “visual, snackable, personal, and human.” It will incorporate “conversations with AI,” similar to how Bing has integrated a chatbot with OpenAI capabilities, and feature more creator content like short videos and social media posts.
This shift will likely appeal to younger customers that consume more short-form content like TikTok videos, but it’s also apparently a pragmatic shift related to how the web has changed too. That is, Google has communicated internally that the number of active websites has plateaued in recent years, and so users are increasingly turning to other apps to find information. And so Google Search will need to fight a two-front war, not just against AI but against TikTok and similar apps too.
“More than answers, we’ll help you when there’s no right answer,” the internal documentation explains.
Google will also unveil a new AI program, codenamed “Magi,” at its Google I/O conference this coming week, having just made its Google Bard AI chatbot more broadly available last week, including to Workspace customers. Magi will be more conversational but it’s not clear if it’s a standalone offering or an addition to Bard.
“As search evolves, delivering high-quality information and supporting a healthy, open web will remain core to our approach,” Google said in a statement.