The AI field rarely made hypes that went beyond their own domains that disrupt the tech sphere in general.
Since OpenAI introduced ChatGPT, things changed. As other tech companies scrambled for their own solutions, some like Microsoft opt to use ChatGPT, whereas others, like Google opt to develop their own.
Google has what it calls 'Bard'.
While it botched at first, Google has tweaked and improved it before the public could test it.
Google moved a lot slower than Microsoft, which has been on full-force. But by playing it slow, the company is learning from its mistakes, and hope that it would be able to introduce generative AI to properly enhance its products, without hiccups or controversies.
And this time, Google is finally ready.
Today we’re starting to open up access to Search Labs, where you can try early generative AI experiments from Google. Opt in by tapping the Labs icon on the latest versions of your Google app or desktop Chrome, or join the waitlist at https://t.co/zD6OCpRPH8. pic.twitter.com/NERBdmNPTW
— Google (@Google) May 25, 2023
It started with by Google in opening access to Search Labs, where users can access Google Search Generative Experience (SGE).
Initially for users in the U.S., SGE is essentially Google’s take on AI-powered search engine.
When Google first revealed it at Google I/O 2023 earlier this May, Google showcased that SGE is the company’s infusion of conversational AI into the classic Google Search search experience.
More or less, it's similar to Bing's AI chatbot.
In the preview, SGE is seen having an input bar, where users can input their query.
Engaging with it will trigger Google's AI-powered search, with the generative AI results appearing in a shaded section below the search bar, and below the sponsored results, but above the standard web results.
And on the top right of the AI results, there is a button that lets users expand the snapshot. And for convenience, SGE also adds cards to show where it gets in answers from, by showing where it sourced the data.
And because it's a generative AI that can maintain conversation, SGE allows users to ask follow-up questions by tapping a button below the results.
Google describes the snapshot as “key information to consider, with links to dig deeper.”
Read: Google Upgraded Bard With 'PaLM 2' And Experiments On Generative-AI-Powered Search
What makes this a huge update, is because SGE has the potential to change the history of Google Search, and how people see the web in general.
Since Google Search is by far, the largest search engine ever, SGE can change the SEO industry, and how websites create their content. SGE could change the whole business model of the web.
Just before this, Microsoft introduced its Bing-powered chatbot to Windows, its most important software product, the very product that makes Microsoft, Microsoft.
Besides SGE, Google is also opening access to other Search Labs features, including Code Tips and Add to Sheets.
Code Tips, according to Google, is to "harnesses the power of large language models to provide pointers for writing code faster and smarter." It lets developers ask how-to questions about programming languages (C, C++, Go, Java, JavaScript, Kotlin, Python and TypeScript), tools (Docker, Git, shells) and algorithms.
Meanwhile, as its name suggests, Add to Sheets allows users to insert search results directly into Google’s spreadsheet app. Tapping on the Sheets icon to the left of a search result will pop up a list of users' recent documents. From there, users can choose which one to attach.