Michael Troyer 
Google is implementing new updates to its Search Generative Experience (SGE) to assist users in comprehending and making sense of the information they come across on the internet. These updates aim to enhance understanding of complex concepts and improve coding skills.
Improved Definitions and Visuals
One of the new features allows users to hover over words to preview their definitions and view related images or diagrams. This will be particularly useful when encountering unfamiliar terms or concepts in subjects such as STEM, economics, and history. Similar to Bing Chat, this feature enables users to highlight text and engage in a conversation to learn more.
Easier Code Understanding
For programming assistance, a new feature simplifies understanding and debugging of generated code. SGE currently provides AI-generated overviews and code snippets, and with the update, code segments will be color-coded with syntax highlights, making it easier to identify different elements.
Engaging with Long-Form Content
SGE while browsing, an experimental feature in Search Labs, allows users to engage with long-form content more effectively. For instance, users can tap to see an AI-generated list of key points covered in an article, accompanied by direct links to the relevant sections. This feature, powered by AI, resembles the content highlighting search feature.
Competition and Limitations
While Bing Chat already offers similar features, including content summarization while reading articles, Google’s feature does not provide AI summaries for paywalled articles. Publishers also have the option to block this feature. Another player in the field is news reading app Artifact, which introduced an AI summary feature in its April 2023 update.
Availability and Recent Additions
SGE while browsing is available as a stand-alone experiment in Search Labs and will be rolled out to existing SGE users. Additionally, Google recently added the ability to display videos and images related to users’ search queries in SGE.
