Google on Thursday announced new AI features for various services that are tied directly to its main product, Google Search. The list includes Google Search itself, Google Lens, and Circle to Search. The new features should help you find info faster than before, with an emphasis on things and products around you that might catch your eye.
The focus of the new search experiences seems to be shopping, which is probably why the new features are launching ahead of the holiday shopping season. But you might not like everything new in Search, like the new ads that Google is bringing to AI Overviews.
AI Overviews: Organized search and ads
AI Overviews are easily Google’s biggest AI fumble when it comes to using generative AI in Google Search. But Google hasn’t canceled the feature, not that I was really expecting it to. Instead, Google says AI Overviews are a hit with some users. Google says that people “who use AI Overviews use Search more and are more satisifed with their results.”
This week, Google will begin organizing search results with AI in the US. First, you’ll see recipes and meal inspiration searches organized with AI on mobile devices. Google says it tested the feature, and AI-organized results are more helpful. It’s unclear how AI will organize those results differently from before, however.
That’s not the only AI change coming to Google Search. A new design for AI Overviews will also show prominent links to web pages. The links will appear directly inside an AI Overview. Google says the latest design is rolling out everywhere AI Overviews are available, and it has increased traffic to the websites from which Gemini sources its info.
AI Overviews will get more crowded than before, as Google is also squeezing ads in those fields. Google says people think ads in AI Overviews are helpful, as they can help them connect with businesses faster. This feature will be restricted to the US for the time being.
More exciting are the new AI features coming to Google Lens and Circle to Search.
Google Lens: Support for video searches and shopping
A few days ago, we saw that Google started rolling out a Google Lens feature announced at I/O 2024. You can record a video with voice to ask the AI for information about a topic. Google’s AI can understand the contents of the video and the question, and you’ll get an AI Overview with information from across the web.
The feature will be available globally to Search Labs users who signed up for the “AI Overviews and more” experiment. It will roll out to Android and iPhone, but it will only support English. You’ll also need to have AI Overviews working in your region.
You can also ask voice questions in Google Lens when using still images, too. The feature is available globally on Android and iPhone for English queries.
If you routinely take photos of products around you that you’re interested in buying, Google has new AI features coming to Lens to help. You can take pictures and then use text to search the web for a product similar to something you saw in the real world.
Google offers the example of a couch you saw in a store but need it in a different color to match your living room. You only need to take a photo and write a different color in your text prompt. Google Lens should provide helpful results thanks to its multisearch support.
Google Lens will also offer information about a product it identifies in your photo. You’ll get price details, deals, and reviews related to the product you’ve just photographed:
Starting today, Lens will prominently display key information when it identifies the product in your photo. Let’s say you’re at the airport and a backpack someone is wearing catches your eye you love how it looks and want to learn more about it. Rather than trying to figure out the exact product name and typing it into Search, you can just tap the Lens icon in the search bar and snap a photo (or upload one from your gallery) to instantly see details like price across retailers, current deals, product reviews and where to buy it – all in one place, powered by the Shopping Graph.
The feature will be available on Android and iPhone starting Thursday, but only in “select countries.” It’ll work with top holiday shopping categories, like toys, electronics, and beauty.
Finally, Google Lens will show shopping ads related to the products you’ve just searched the web using photos or videos.
Circle to Search to shop and recognize music
Google Lens isn’t the only AI visual search experience that Google offers. Google says users love shopping their screen with Circle to Search. The feature lets you search the web for information about anything that might be showing on your Android phone’s screen.
You just have to invoke Circle to Search to start a product search based on something you might have seen on social media, in a video, or different app.
In addition to products, Circle to Search can also identify music via the newest update. Circle to Search can listen to the song and identify it for you, whether it’s a video, social media, or a movie.
With the newest Android expansion, Google says it’s bringing Circle to Search to more users. The feature will be available on over 150 million Android devices.
