Google Ramps Up AI in Search Functions Amid Competition with OpenAI

AsianFin--Google is set to introduce new artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities in its search features and other services as it competes with OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, to remain at the forefront of AI technology.

At its annual developers conference on Tuesday, Google announced that its AI Oversights, powered by the updated Gemini model, will offer users more comprehensive answers to their queries, including those posed through video.

These AI enhancements from Google come on the heels of OpenAI's unveiling of GPT-4o during a live demonstration the previous day. Both companies have been leading players in the rapidly advancing field of generative AI.

Liz Reid, Google's head of search, described the updates as a preview of how search is being reimagined in the Gemini era.

One demonstration showcased how users could receive detailed information about yoga studios in their vicinity, including prices, reviews, and distance, all from a single query using AI Oversights. This update incorporates multistep reasoning capabilities into the AI.

Another example demonstrated how a user could diagnose why a record player is malfunctioning by submitting a video of the device, rather than describing the issue.

Alongside the search enhancements, Google introduced Project Astra, an AI agent powered by Gemini. In a demonstration, Project Astra identified items, equations, and the location of an office within the DeepMind premises in London using a phone's camera.

Google also announced updates to integrate AI-powered search features into Android phones, with Gemini becoming the new AI assistant on Android devices.