Google’s AI-powered Search Generative Experience (SGE) is introducing a significant new feature: the capability to summarize articles you’re reading online, as stated in a Google blog post. While SGE already provides summaries of search results to save you from endless scrolling, this new feature takes it a step further by assisting you after you’ve clicked on a link.
The feature referred to as ‘SGE while browsing’ won’t be immediately visible to users. According to Google, it’s a fresh addition that is gradually rolling out as an ‘early experiment’ within its opt-in Search Labs program, starting from Tuesday. If you’ve already opted into SGE, you’ll gain access to it, or you can individually opt in to the feature if you haven’t. Initially, it will be accessible on the Google app for Android and iOS, with plans to introduce it to the Chrome browser on desktop ‘in the coming days.
If you have access to the Google app on mobile, after tapping an icon at the bottom of the screen, Google will present you with AI-generated ‘key points’ extracted from an article. Notably, this feature works ‘only on articles that are freely available to the public on the web’; Google clarifies that it won’t function on websites publishers designate as paywalled.
Beyond this, Google is introducing a series of other enhancements to SGE. In SGE results related to topics such as science, economics, and history, you’ll be able to hover over specific words to obtain definitions or diagrams related to the subject. Google is also enhancing the clarity of SGE’s summaries of coding information.
First unveiled at Google I/O in May, SGE has undergone improvements over the past months. Despite any personal reservations, Google is content with its progress. During the company’s most recent earnings call, CEO Sundar Pichai expressed his satisfaction with the ‘very positive’ user feedback received and anticipated that ‘over time this will just be how Search works
