Google Search rolls out AI Overviews to everyone in the US

2024-05-14

Google"s Search Generative Experience experiment has reached the point where one of its features is now ready to graduate and be offered to everyone - at least everyone in the US at first. We"re talking about AI Overviews, which was available as an experiment before, but is now rolling out to all Google Search users in the US. More countries will follow at some point in the future.

Google expects the feature to reach a billion people by the end of the year. AI Overviews, like the name implies, will give you a quick overview of a topic with links to learn more. This was already available in Google Search for some topics, but now it"s got "AI" affixed to it, so it must be better.

Google says the links in AI Overviews got more clicks than if the page had appeared as a traditional web listing for a query.

"Soon" you"ll even be able to adjust your AI Overview with options to simplify the language or break things down in more detail. This will debut in Search Labs for English in the US.

AI Overviews also works for complex questions, which you can ask in one go, so you can search for "find the best yoga or pilates studios in Boston and show me details on their intro offers, and walking time from Beacon Hill", which we"re sure people have definitely done before, and get all of that info. This too will come to Search Labs in English in the US.

Other new Search features include planning capabilities, with the example Google gives being "create a 3 day meal plan for a group that"s easy to prepare", which will result in "a starting point with a wide range of recipes from across the web". If you want to change anything, you can just ask for any adjustments, and Search will customize your meal plan, which you can then export to Docs or Gmail.

This also works for trips. The feature is available now in Search Labs in English in the US, and later this year the customization capabilities are coming, along with more categories like parties, date night, and workouts.

Next up, Search will use generative AI to brainstorm with you when you"re "looking for fresh ideas" and it will create an AI-organized results page, which looks like a normal results page, but with the word AI added in. So what"s so AI about this? The AI generated headlines, "featuring a wide range of perspectives and content types".

This will be available soon in - you guessed it - English in the US. It will first work for dining and recipes, followed by music, movies, books, hotels, and shopping.

Finally, you"ll be able to search with video through Search Labs in English in the US - "soon". This means you can upload a video and then ask a question about it - like when your record player isn"t working and "the metal piece with the needle is drifting unexpectedly".