Google Expands AI Search Summaries to Six New Countries

Google has announced the expansion of its AI-generated summaries for search queries, known as AI Overviews, to six new countries. This comes just two months after the company rolled back some capabilities due to issues during its initial launch. The feature, which displays AI-generated summaries at the top of search result pages, was made available to all U.S. users in May after a year of limited trials.

Initial Challenges and Improvements

The launch of AI Overviews was met with criticism after factually inaccurate answers, such as a pizza recipe listing glue as an ingredient and an incorrect statement about former U.S. President Barack Obama, circulated online. In response, Google acknowledged the "odd and erroneous overviews" and made updates in late May to improve the feature. These updates included limiting the types of queries that would trigger AI answers and reducing the reliance on user-generated content from sites like Reddit.

Positive Feedback and User Satisfaction

Despite the rocky start, Google reports that the quality of AI Overviews is improving. Hema Budaraju, a senior director of product at Google, told Reuters that internal data shows users with access to the feature report higher satisfaction and are searching for longer, more specific queries. This feature is now being rolled out in Brazil, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, and Britain, with support for local languages like Portuguese and Hindi.

Enhancements to Drive Traffic

Google is also adding more hyperlinks to AI Overviews, with websites now displayed to the right of the AI-generated answers. Additionally, the company is testing an update that would integrate links directly within the text of the overview, aiming to prioritize traffic to relevant websites. Google has positioned these updates as a "three-way benefit" for the company, consumers, and publishers.

Ongoing Competition and Legal Challenges

The expansion and updates to AI Overviews come at a time of increasing scrutiny and competition for Google. Last week, a U.S. judge ruled that Google had an illegal monopoly on search, setting the stage for a trial that could potentially break up Alphabet. Additionally, AI advances from competitors like Microsoft-backed OpenAI pose an emerging threat to Google’s dominance in the search market.