Google has launched new AI features powered by Gemini. With these additions, Google hopes to help its users with new and complex questions.
In the US, Gemini 2.0 will be used for AI overviews to help with complex questions like coding, mathematics, and multimodal queries. These queries will be answered faster and be of higher quality.
However, Google is not satisfied with stopping at AI overview. They have heard their users asking for AI responses for even more of their searches.
In response, Google will be launching AI Mode, an early experiment in labs.
This will be a new search mode that can perform advanced reasoning. Thinking and multimodal capabilities beyond the basic AI overview.
As Google puts it-
“Using a custom version of Gemini 2.0, AI Mode is particularly helpful for questions that need further exploration, comparisons, and reasoning. You can ask nuanced questions that might have previously taken multiple searches — like exploring a new concept or comparing detailed options — and get a helpful AI-powered response with links to learn more.”
What does this mean for Search?
AI has been changing how we consume information. Before Artificial Intelligence took over, everyone had to manually search for and determine a high-quality source. However, AI made it all too easy.
Gemini, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and the like now cite their claims, making research easier. Does this mean Search will die down? Honestly? No. Search will become more relevant because readers will have to judge for themselves if the information they have is valid or not.
Optimistically, it should help us improve our searching skills.
But, we have to ask: Is the future bright, or is it the decline of critical thinking?