
[ad_1]
Google AI Overview is a feature in Google Search that provides AI-generated summaries and insights at the top of search results. It is powered by Google’s custom artificial intelligence models. Geminidesigned to help users quickly find detailed and contextually relevant information from a variety of online resources.
The following guide is designed to help you understand an overview of Google AI, how it works, and how it can be used with Google’s search generation experience initiative.
Get an overview of Google AI
Google AI Overview was previously part of SGE, a feature in Google Search that allows users to leverage Google’s Generative AI The research has since grown into a broader experiment to expand Google’s generative AI capabilities to more parts of the search experience.
Google AI Overviews relies on the software giant’s custom large-scale language model, Google Gemini, to provide snapshot answers to users’ search queries (hence the name “overview”). Because Gemini is integrated into Google’s core web ranking system, AI Overviews can search and extract relevant information from Google’s own index.
The system is designed to make it easier for users to quickly find the information they need without having to search through multiple sources. For example, if you’re looking for information about climate change, AI Overviews can provide a summary response with key facts and statistics, as well as links to further reading. By doing this, AI Overviews reduces the effort users need to put into searching for information, doing all the prep work for them — at least in theory.
Overview of Google AI’s key features
Multi-step reasoning
AI Overview can handle complex, multi-part user queries by linking related information together to provide more nuanced responses. For example, you can search for “show me the best gyms with free membership within a 30-minute drive” and AI Overview will show you nearby gyms, their distance from you, and any relevant sign-up offers (Figure A).
Similarly, when asked a question like “What are some good options for a day out in Dallas with kids? Recommend some nearby ice cream shops?” AI Overviews might come up with a list of family-friendly ice cream shops, each with nearby ice cream shops and a map showing their locations.

Planning and brainstorming aids
In addition to answering questions, AI Overview can also help users plan activities or gather project ideas by aggregating relevant information and resources. For example, you can search “make a five-day high-protein meal plan that’s easy to prepare” and AI Overview will aggregate recipes from around the web to give you a starting point. From there, you can customize your response, such as asking about vegetarian alternatives, and add the necessary ingredients to your shopping list.
Starting this summer, users will also be able to use AI Overviews for trip planning, a feature that Google vice president and general manager of Gemini experiences Sissie Hsiao demonstrated at Google I/O.
period DemoHsiao gives the example prompt: “My family and I are going to Miami for Labor Day. My son loves art, and my husband is craving fresh seafood. Can you pull my flight and hotel information from Gmail and help me plan my weekend?” Gemini then combines information from Maps, Search, and Gmail to provide a customized itinerary that takes into account factors such as flight schedules and the hotel’s proximity to nearby suitable dinner spots.
Google plans to add more customization options later this year, including more comprehensive recommendations for less specific prompts. For example, “Dallas anniversary dinner venues” might highlight more romantic venues or — weather permitting — places with rooftop dining.
look: Artificial Intelligence: A Cheat Sheet
Video-based search
In the future, AI Overviews will be able to understand and respond to queries uploaded in the form of videos; this means users will be able to take a video of something, ask questions about it, and then have AI Overviews help them. Google says this will make it easier for people to find answers to their questions without having to type in detailed text descriptions (Figure B).

AI Overview and Google SGE
On October 12, 2023, Google introduced generative AI to its search platform as part of SGE. This is an experiment in Google Search Labs that initially allows users to generate AI-driven images and text directly from the search bar. The goal is to provide more creative answers to questions that traditional search results may not be able to fully answer.
SGE is now renamed AI Overviews. Start rolling out to users May 14 in the United States Google I/O 2024 On August 15, Google expanded it to six more countries: the United Kingdom, India, Japan, Indonesia, Mexico, and Brazil. Google’s goal is to make AI Overview available to more than 1 billion people by the end of 2024.
How to access, customize or disable AI Overview
To access AI Overview, just do a regular search on Google. If an AI-generated overview is relevant to your query, it will appear at the top of the search results, just like a knowledge panel.
There is currently no default option to completely disable AI Overview. Google Support Page notes“AI Overviews are part of Google Search, and like other features (such as the Knowledge Panel), they can’t be turned off.” In this case, the best thing you can do is ignore them and focus on traditional search results instead. If you prefer the usual list of links, you can switch to the “Web” tab at the top of the Google search results page. Alternatively, you can go the custom web extension route, in which case we recommend you proceed with caution.
Regarding customization, Google plans to roll out options that will let users adjust the complexity of the language used in AI Overviews or expand the results it provides. Users will be able to enter a prompt and choose between the original answer, a simplified version, or breaking it down into more detailed options. This will make AI Overviews more useful to a wider range of users, from novices to experts.
AI Overview Challenges and User Reactions
The rollout of Google AI Overview has not been without its share of setbacks. In late May, Google was forced to revisit the feature after it produced some questionable results. Google attributed the issues to its AI models misunderstanding nuances of queries or language, as well as the quality of available information (e.g. How many stones should a person eat per day(Note: TechRepublic strongly advises against eating rocks.)
ResponseLiz Reid, Google’s head of search, said the company will “continue to improve when and how we show the AI Overview and strengthen our protections, including for extreme cases.” Improvements include refining the AI Overview to better explain sarcasm and nonsense queries, and adding limits to prevent the AI from triggering in situations where it doesn’t provide useful information.
[ad_2]
Source link