This is what it looks like when the AI answers come above the regular search results. The function was first released last year but had to be activated manually. It is now being tested for everyone.
Camera Google
Some users in the US have now started getting AI responses when they try to search for certain topics on Google. In the past, this has been a so-called “opt-in” option, meaning that you must specifically say that you want to receive AI answers in addition to the usual results.
Now Google is testing to provide AI answers in addition to normal search results, regardless of whether you want it or not, according to Search Engine Land.
Stock summary
The feature, called Search Generative Experience (SGE), was launched during Google’s developer conference I/O last spring. It uses the company’s generative AI technology to create summaries that answer the search query and appear at the top of the page with links to more information, before the regular search results.
According to Search Engine Land, Google will show SGE for complex searches or when they think the user might benefit from information from multiple sites.
Google tells the site that it will only display AI-generated summaries when it has confidence that they provide better information than regular search results. The test will also currently only apply to “a selection of searches for a small percentage of search traffic in the USA”.
Testing several AI features
Although it is only a small test at this time, it is clear that Google envisions a quite different search experience for users in the future. In February, Google temporarily removed the “News” tab in its search engine and replaced it with AI Answers, and with AI Answers above the company’s regular search result in the latest test, it may indicate that this is the direction Google envisions.
We have not yet seen any example of AI answers appearing in Norwegian search results yet.
What do you think about AI answers on Google instead of regular search results?
