A wealth of additional details will soon emerge regarding Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE), a platform that presently delivers generative AI summaries to specific users at the pinnacle of the search results page. On Wednesday, the company disclosed that SGE is extending its reach to Seek Labs users across 120 countries and territories. This expansion includes the incorporation of support for four additional languages and the introduction of several new features, all within a mere six weeks following its debut at I/O 2023.
In a departure from the frenzied rollout of the Bard bot in March, Google has undertaken a more deliberate approach in disseminating its AI research assistant. The initiative commenced with English language searches in the United States in May, subsequently broadening its scope to encompass English-speaking individuals in India and Japan by August, before further targeting audiences in diverse regions by September. As of Wednesday, individuals from Brazil to Bhutan can now test the functionality. Apart from English, SGE now caters to users in Spanish, Portuguese, Korean, and Indonesian (in addition to existing languages such as Hindi and Japanese), enabling interaction with the assistant in a multitude of natural languages. The Search Labs app for Android will be progressively updated over the following week, with these enhancements becoming accessible on Chrome PC starting Wednesday.
Among the notable enhancements to SGE is an enhanced follow-up feature that empowers users to pose additional queries directly on the search results page. This innovative capability allows for deeper exploration of a topic without the need to navigate away from the results page or manually input further inquiries, akin to the compact Bard windows integrated within the generated summaries. To mitigate potential confusion between generated content and advertisements, Google is reportedly considering confining ads to specific, designated sections of the webpage. The rollout of follow-up functionalities is slated to commence in the forthcoming week, initially exclusive to U.S. customers utilizing the English language, with potential expansion as Google refines the technology.
SGE has also begun aiding in disambiguating imprecise translation terms. For instance, when attempting to translate “Is there a link?” into Spanish, the context may vary based on whether the reference is to a tie (e.g., “un empate”) or a necktie (“una corbata”), each necessitating distinct linguistic considerations. This new feature promptly identifies such nuances, presenting users with clickable options to select the intended interpretation. Particularly beneficial for languages with gendered associations to objects, such as vehicles being masculine and motorcycles feminine, this feature offers clarity in conveying the intended meaning. Notably, this functionality is currently accessible to U.S. users for English-to-Spanish translations.
Lastly, Google aims to incorporate coding and health-related inquiries into its interactive repertoire, typically featured in generated summaries pertaining to academic disciplines like science, history, and economics. This forthcoming update is expected to roll out within the next month, initially targeting English-speaking users in the U.S. before potential expansion to additional regions in the ensuing months.
