During the company’s earnings call on Tuesday, Google CEO Sundar Pichai shared that Google Search is currently undergoing a transformative “journey” driven by AI. This journey began with the introduction of AI overviews, a significant and somewhat contentious change in how Google presents information to its billions of Search users.
However, this is merely the starting point.
“With AI broadening the scope of questions that users can pose, we anticipate that 2025 will be a landmark year for innovations in search,” Pichai remarked during his initial comments on the call.
Throughout the conversation, Pichai outlined the upcoming phase of Google’s strategy to enrich Search with AI enhancements from the company’s research division, DeepMind. The Search platform is gradually evolving into a more interactive AI assistant that navigates the web, examines pages, and provides users with answers.
This marks a significant departure from the traditional model of displaying ten blue links.
Google has been on this path for several years, particularly after the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in 2022 caught the tech giant off guard. This transformation carries significant ramifications for websites dependent on Google’s traffic and for businesses investing in ads on Google Search.
While not everyone is pleased with this direction, Google is advancing resolutely.
When questioned about the future of AI and Search, Pichai hinted, “You can envision the potential of Project Astra,” pointing to DeepMind’s multimodal AI system, capable of processing live video from various sources and responding to queries about its real-time observations.
Google has ambitious plans for Project Astra in additional areas of its business. The company envisions leveraging this multimodal AI system to drive a new generation of augmented reality smart glasses, for which Google will develop the operating system.
Pichai also highlighted the Gemini Deep Research initiative — an AI tool designed to generate comprehensive research reports over several minutes — as a feature that could markedly change user interaction with Google Search. Essentially, Deep Research automates tasks that users typically perform via Google Search, signaling Google’s intent to undertake this research on behalf of its users.
“We are significantly expanding the range of use cases for Search — addressing queries that may not have immediate answers but require more time,” Pichai explained. “These are all avenues for exploration, and you can expect us to unveil new user experiences throughout 2025.”
Moreover, Pichai mentioned that Google has a “clear vision” for the Search experiences that could emerge from another AI initiative, Project Mariner, which allows the AI to interact with websites on behalf of users, potentially eliminating the need for users to navigate websites themselves.
He indicated there’s an “opportunity” to enhance user interaction by enabling more dialogue, such as follow-up questions, within Google Search. Although he did not provide extensive details, it appears Google is exploring ways to make its Search interface function more like a chatbot.
“I believe the [Search] product will continue to evolve,” Pichai stated. “By facilitating user interactions and follow-up inquiries, we have a chance to drive additional growth.”
Currently, ChatGPT has become one of the internet’s most popular platforms, attracting hundreds of millions of users weekly. This presents a substantial challenge to the long-term viability of Google Search. In response, Google is not only creating a rival AI chatbot with Gemini but is also integrating AI features directly into its Search capabilities.
It’s worth noting that the initial phase of Google’s AI journey in Search encountered obstacles. Upon the release of AI overviews across Google Search, the system produced inaccurate and bizarre responses, including suggestions like consuming rocks or applying glue to pizza. Google admitted that the AI overviews required further refinement.
Nevertheless, it seems that Google is only beginning its endeavor to incorporate AI into Search.
Compiled by Techarena.au.
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