MOUNTAIN VIEW: Google on Tuesday said it was enhancing online search with even more generative artificial intelligence, as it continues to embrace AI despite concerns about the impact on its advertising-based business model.
CEO Sundar Pichai, speaking at the company’s annual developers’ event, said Google’s search engine would now feature a new AI mode. He claimed that “decades of research” were bearing fruit with this technology.
The search engine’s new AI mode goes beyond the already launched AI Overviews, which display answers to user queries using Google’s generative AI capabilities, appearing above the traditional blue links to websites and advertisements.
“New AI mode is a total reimagining of search with more advanced reasoning,” Pichai said, kicking off the conference in Silicon Valley.
“You can ask longer and more complex queries… and you can go further with follow-up questions.”
Google’s head of search, Liz Reid, described the new AI mode, now available in the United States, as a powerful tool with advanced reasoning, multi-modality, and the ability for users to dive deeper into their searches.
“It searches across the entire web, going way deeper than traditional search,” she said.
Since the launch of AI Overviews at last year’s developer conference, the feature has expanded to more than 1.5 billion users globally, according to Pichai.
“That means Google Search is bringing Gen AI to more people than any other product in the world,” he added.
Google’s expansion into generative AI comes amid rising competition with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which has also incorporated search capabilities into its popular chatbot.
Both firms are quickly rolling out new AI tools despite ongoing challenges such as curbing misinformation and finding sustainable business models. There is also no clear understanding yet of how this technology will shape society.
Analysts have warned that shifting away from the familiar pages of “blue links” to AI-generated summaries could significantly reduce the number of ads served — the core of Google’s revenue stream.
This has alarmed online publishers, including news organisations and Wikipedia, who fear a sharp decline in web traffic. For decades, Google search links have served as a major gateway to the internet.
Adding fuel to the fire, Apple executive Eddy Cue recently testified in federal court that Google’s search traffic on Apple devices declined in April — the first such drop in more than 20 years.
Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of services, told the Washington antitrust trial that Google was losing ground to AI-based alternatives like ChatGPT and Perplexity, which caused Google’s share prices to tumble.
Investors were further shaken when Cue said Apple may soon offer AI-powered alternatives as default search engines on its devices, raising fears that Google’s ad revenue could be seriously threatened by rising AI competition.
This testimony came during a landmark trial, where a federal judge may order Google to divest key operations after an earlier ruling declared its search business an illegal monopoly.
‘Ultra’
At Google I/O — the company’s annual developers’ conference — the tech giant fosters ties with creators of apps, platforms, and online services, aiming to keep them aligned with its ecosystem.
Beyond search, the event showcased numerous AI advancements in the pipeline or already in use.
These include real-time speech translation, virtual clothing try-ons using users’ personal photos, and AI technology that can automatically search for products and complete purchases when prices fall.
Google is also adding “agent” functions to Chrome and the Gemini AI app, enabling AI to perform online tasks independently. These features will first be available to paying subscribers.
The company revealed that its most advanced AI features would be offered through a new “Ultra” subscription plan — priced at $250 per month.
