Remember AI Overview? Google just brought it to more countries, but there's a catch
Google Search's AI Overview had a rocky start
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Key notes
- Google Search’s AI Overview is now expanding to six more countries.
- The tech giant also introduces a new format with improved source visibility and clickable links.
- Testing feedback has been positive, and Google has updated the feature to handle complex queries better.
Google had a nice idea with AI Overview for Search because it sums up what you’re looking for in a few packed answers. But, the execution was so bad that the tech giant had to retract the feature for a while.
But now, Google announced that it’s expanding the AI Overview feature for its search engine into six more countries, such as the UK, India, Japan, Indonesia, Mexico, and Brazil, and in their languages.
There’s also a new format that’s rolling out. The AI Overview now displays source websites more prominently in a new right-hand side panel and tests clickable links within the summary text. Here’s what it looks like:
Google also adds that the response during the testing period has been positive so far, and you can even save an Overview for later use.
“With AI Overviews, we’re seeing that people have been visiting a greater diversity of websites for help with more complex questions,” says Hema Budaraju, Senior Director at Google Search.
Google Search’s AI Overview had quite a rocky start during its launch back in May. A lot of users criticized the feature for giving silly and wrong information, even after the $60 million deal with Reddit that (supposedly) polishes the AI-powered feature.
Google then admitted that the AI Overview feature had trouble handling unusual or nonsensical queries and was sometimes misled by fake content. The company addressed these issues by executing updates aimed at improving the feature’s accuracy and better controlling the type of content it generates.
