Google launched a major AI search, leading the transformation of the search world order.

At the 2024 Google I/O developer conference held this week, Google announced that its flagship product, Google Search, is undergoing its biggest update in 25 years, redefining the search experience by adding new AI features.

Some analysts point out that Google chose to incorporate AI functionality into its most iconic and lucrative product, which would be a “change in the search world order.”

How will AI-enabled searches be different? And how will online search change?

Three major innovations in the search model

First, the most critical is the AI summary generation function, called AI Overviews, and the generated summary will appear at the top of the search results.

For example, when searching for “where do I see the best auroras”, Google's response includes an authoritative answer, such as “the best place is in the polar circle, where there is the least amount of light pollution,” followed by a link to a web page, and finally, other informational descriptions, such as “Other places to see auroras include Russia and northwest Canada.”

Meanwhile, Google Search Director Liz Reid said:

AI Overviews don't appear in every search result, but rather target relatively complex questions. Every time someone searches, Google makes an algorithmic value judgment behind it to decide whether to provide an AI-generated answer or a traditional link. For example, if you want to search a shopping site, the website URL will directly appear.

The feature is rolling out to all US Google search users this week. By the end of this year, this feature will be introduced to more countries, meaning more than 1 billion people use Google AI search. At the same time, it will appear on all platforms, including the web, mobile devices, and in browsers as part of the search engine experience, such as people searching Google through Safari.

However, when an algorithm determines the answers a person needs rather than providing a few links to click and read, the risk of search results is even more important, and Gemini is not entirely immune to illusions.

Another major update to search is the ability to plan ahead.

For example, users can ask Google to make a meal plan for themselves, or find a nearby Pilates studio that is offering their first discounted course. In the future of the search world, an AI agent can gather several nearby studios, summarize their reviews, and plan how long it will take to walk there.

This is one of Google's most obvious advantages over startup search engines. The latter doesn't have Google reviews, map data, or other massive knowledge, and doesn't have an API that easily obtains real-time or local information.

In addition, Google is also introducing an enhanced video search function, similar to an upgraded version of Google Lens functionality — you can use your phone's camera to aim at an object, such as a damaged record player, and ask how to fix it.

This broadens the boundaries of “search,” and Reid made it clear that although most consumers think Google search is just one thing, it's actually a different thing for people with different ways to search.

Changing the search world order

Driven by AI technology, AI Overviews and other categories of search forums replace traditional searches and occupy most of the search space.

Research firm Gartner predicted earlier this year:

By 2026, the search volume of traditional search engines will be reduced by 25%, and more “agent” guided search methods will replace the way traditional search engines perform queries, where AI models retrieve and generate more direct answers.

Alan Antin, vice president and analyst at Gartner, said in a report that AI solutions are gradually replacing response engines to replace user queries that may have previously been performed in traditional search engines, which will force the company to rethink its marketing channel strategy.

What does this mean for the online world? Jim Yu, president of BrightEdge, said this is a change in the search world order, and we are at a moment where everything in search is beginning to change with AI.

BrightEdge developed a “generation parser” eight months ago to monitor how searchers interact with generative results on the web. Yu said that in the past month, the parser found that Google no longer frequently asked people if they “wanted” answers, but rather assumed more frequently that they actually wanted them. This means that users will likely want to interact with AI in searches rather than being prompted to select AI-generated results.

Changes in search are also having an important impact on Google's advertising business, which is its main source of revenue. The analysis points out:

If Google provides more direct answers to searchers and people do fewer and more detailed searches, then Google may have fewer opportunities to display ads, and the types of ad displays may also change as AI tools develop.

Google said it will prioritize traffic from websites, creators, and merchants as these changes roll out, but it hasn't revealed how it plans to achieve this.

Furthermore, Google describes the future world of search as simple answers generated by artificial intelligence that will encourage people to explore ideas more deeply. Although Google Search still promises to put the world's information in the hands of users, it's unclear who is actually pressing the keyboard.