Google confirms an AI search engine as its biggest bet

Google has already established itself as one of the leading names in the artificial intelligence field. The company arrived a little later than OpenAI, so the GPT models still have an advantage in certain aspects. However, the Mountain View giant has been working hard to close the current gap and even get ahead in some segments. Google aims to fully integrate AI into its search engine, a dream that OpenAI also shares.

Google wants deep AI integration with its search engine

Google revolutionized the internet with its search engine, unquestionably becoming the most popular worldwide. Essentially, Google has become synonymous with web search, and something like this is not easy to achieve. The firm wants to rely on its extensive experience in the field to offer a search engine that uses the power of AI to be more useful and functional than ever.

Ruth Porat, president and chief investment officer of Alphabet, said that the integration of AI in Google Search is currently the company’s biggest bet for the future.

Google already showed its intentions a while ago by developing and launching AI Overviews. These are pieces of information that appear at the top of Google Search’s results and serve as potential answers to users’ requirements. However, the initial launch was a bit bumpy, as the AI ​​Overviews had constant flaws, including false information—or AI hallucinations.

The feature also received backlash for its potential to reduce visits to websites in search results. After some tweaks, the AI Overviews now work much better than before. However, Google doesn’t settle with that and wants even more AI in its search engine.

The bet has required huge billion-dollar investments

Porat did not offer more specific details about what additional functions AI could enable in Google Search. On the other hand, Alessandra Galloni—editor in chief of Reuters—asked her about the high costs associated with AI. According to reports, the company will spend around $50 billion on AI-related developments in 2024 alone. The investment is earmarked for AI hardware, data centers, and even energy generation.

When asked, Porat responded that they are facing a “generational opportunity.” It seems that the company believes that now is the time to invest as much as possible in AI development. However, she also said that “we [Google] need to generate a return” in a long-term vision.