-
Google’s generative search results turn the normally stark white results page into an array of pastel colors.
Google
-
An example search for Bluetooth speakers. The normal list of links doesn’t start until the very bottom of this screenshot.
Google
Google’s “Search Generative Experience” is a plan to deliver ChatGPT-style generative AI results directly to your Google search results page, and the company has announced that the feature will begin rolling out today. In any case, the feature will be rolled out to the mobile apps for people who have been waitlisted and chosen as early access users.
Unlike the normally stark white Google page with 10 blue links, Google’s generative AI results appear in colorful boxes above the normal search results. Google collects a ton of information from around the web and presents it in a convenient list, with purchase links to Best Buy and manufacturer websites.
If ever rolled out on a large scale, it would be the biggest change to Google’s search results ever, and this design threatens to turn the entire internet upside down. An example screenshot of a “Bluetooth speaker” search on a desktop shows a large row of “Sponsored” shopping ads, after which the generative AI results appear in a large blue box about halfway down the first page. The blue box summarizes a lot of information that has been harvested somewhere and lists a number of completely baseless statements and opinions about each speaker. In Google’s example, users are never told where this information comes from, so they can’t make a judgment about its reliability. The links all seem to go to manufacturers’ websites, and under that blue box, about two or three screens down, there are finally links to more neutral third-party websites. The ultimate goal of the design seems to be “no one will ever click an external search link again,” and that would force many sites to shut down.
At least for now, generative AI results are opt-in. You need to open the Google Search app and tap the new “lab” cup at the top left. You can then sign up for ‘Search Labs’, which contains ChatGPT-style results. You only get on a waiting list at that point and if this works like Bard, a full release could take months. When Google announced the whole “Search Labs” idea, it said the features “will be available for a limited time.”
Listing image by Google
