Amid growing competition, Google has updated its AI Overviews, a feature that delivers AI-generated answers during searches, by introducing a new right-hand display of links. By adding in-text links, Google’s latest changes to AI Overviews resemble OpenAI’s search engine prototype.
Google’s recent update to AI Overviews, which are AI-generated responses displayed during searches, now includes a right-hand panel that prominently shows links to sources. This change makes it easier for users to visit relevant websites directly from the AI Overview. Additionally, Google is experimenting with in-text links within AI Overviews.
This update is now available on desktops and mobile devices. On mobile, users can access the feature by tapping the site icons at the upper right corner of the screen.
Easier Access to Information
Hema Budaraju, Senior Director of Product Management for Google Search, stated that the update is designed to help users visit sites that interest them more easily. Google initially launched AI Overviews in May during its annual I/O conference. The feature provides a summarized version of search results at the top of the page for certain queries. The previous version of AI Overviews included links, but they were less prominent, requiring users to click a down arrow at the bottom of a paragraph to see the sources.
The update comes as competition intensifies between Google and OpenAI. OpenAI recently introduced a prototype search engine, SearchGPT, which also features in-text links. With an expandable sidebar for sources, Google’s latest changes to AI Overviews resemble OpenAI’s search engine prototype. SearchGPT, powered by the GPT-4 family, delivers real-time information from the web and is currently being tested by a small group of users and publishers.
While Google’s AI Overviews are more widely available, there are key differences between the two. Unlike AI Overviews, SearchGPT is designed like a chatbot, allowing users to ask follow-up questions within the same chat rather than starting a new search. OpenAI has also announced plans to integrate the best features of SearchGPT into ChatGPT.
Google’s Approach to AI and Publisher Deals
Google continues to embed AI into its established search engine while also offering a chatbot experience through its virtual assistant, Gemini. The two companies differ in their approach to publisher deals. OpenAI has signed agreements with several news publications, compensating them in exchange for the ability to train AI on their content libraries.
These deals come amidst concerns from publishers about the impact of AI products on readership and the potential unauthorized use of their content to train large language models. For instance, the AI-powered answer engine Perplexity faced backlash for allegedly using news content without proper attribution to publishers.
While Google is also working on expanding attribution, it has not pursued similar deals with U.S. publishers. However, Google is paying Reddit to train its AI on the platform’s extensive collection of posts. In 2023, Google also signed licensing agreements with 1,500 news publications in the EU, complying with the EU Copyright Directive.
Ongoing Experiments and Global Rollout
With a focus on driving traffic to relevant websites, Google continues to refine its AI search product. As Google’s latest changes to AI Overviews resemble OpenAI’s search engine prototype, users can now follow up with more relevant information. Budaraju noted that the inclusion of links directly within AI Overviews has led to increased traffic to publisher sites.
The update to AI Overviews is part of a broader global rollout, with the feature now available in six new countries, including the UK, India, Japan, Indonesia, Mexico, and Brazil. The updated version with the new link display is available in all these countries, as well as for Search Labs users in over 120 countries and territories.
In the U.S., Google is also testing new tools in Search Labs for English queries, such as the ability to save AI Overview results and simplify the language used in responses.
Also Read: 57% of Young Applicants Are Using ChatGPT for Job Resumes: A New Era in Job Applications.
