Google has unveiled new AI capabilities that surpass virtual agents, introducing AI overviews as a new feature to enhance its search experience. This feature, first launched in the US, will offer users quicker and more targeted information to streamline the search process and provide more specific answers to complex and niche questions.
The new feature, known as Gemini, is an AI system that will assist users with planning tasks like cooking recipes and other activities. Users can also have conversations with Gemini, interrupting mid-sentence to ask clarifying questions for a more realistic conversation experience.
In addition to AI overviews, Google is also enhancing its AI Search offering with better planning capabilities. Users will soon be able to ask Search for meal and travel suggestions, similar to consulting a travel agent for recommendations on restaurants and hotels.
Felix Simon, a research fellow in AI and digital news at the Reuters Institute for Journalism, stated that this new feature aims to address a common struggle of Search by providing quicker and more targeted information to users. He added that it is a step towards creating a more personalized search experience for users.
Google has also introduced Veo, a new video-generating AI system that allows users greater control over cinematic styles by understanding prompts and generating short videos based on specified criteria like “time lapse” or “aerial shots of a landscape.” With its ownership of YouTube, Google has the advantage of extensive training data for generative video models. The tech giant has already announced partnerships with artists like Donald Glover and Wycleaf Jean who are leveraging Google’s technology to create their work.
Overall, these new features demonstrate how Google continues to push boundaries in the field of artificial intelligence and improve its services for its users.