Google AI search generative experience to show relevant images and videos

Google's AI-powered search generative experience (SGE) is significantly upgrading: including images and videos. For users who have enabled the AI-powered SGE feature within Search Labs, the summary box at the top of search results will display a richer multimedia experience.

According to a report from The Verge, Google is actively working to speed up the appearance of this summary box and improve the contextual information provided along with the links that appear in it.

Although SGE is currently in an experimental phase, it certainly signifies the future direction of Google Search. Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet, emphasized this during the recent earnings call: "It truly offers us the opportunity to break free from the previous limitations of search functionality. It encourages us to explore innovative approaches." Pichai further articulated that "over time, this will become the standard operation of search."

The report states that Google is now not solely focused on selecting relevant links for each search; Its objective extends to synthesizing and generating accurate and valuable information. The integration of video content, particularly from YouTube, offers significant potential.

Over the years, Google has increasingly integrated YouTube videos into search results, identifying specific chapters or moments within videos to address daily queries.

Effective presentation and contextualization of links continue to be imperative to the success of SGE. Google has introduced a feature to display the publication dates and the three articles that appear in the summary box, helping users gauge the currency of the information on these web pages. Additionally, there have been hints of experimentation with online links within the AI-generated summary, although this aspect is in the testing phase. Striking the right balance between providing the information sought and helping users discover it for themselves is a perennial challenge within the realm of Google Search.

Improving the speed of SGE will be an ongoing effort for Google. Today, SGE's rate is sub-optimal, and it's often the last element to load on a page by a substantial margin. In the context of the search, even milliseconds are essential. Google announced a 50% reduction in SGE load time in June.