Google announced on Thursday that its search engine will receive an AI upgrade to deliver personalised ads alongside search results. The company stated that the new features, including AI Overview and Google Lens updates, aim to simplify and personalise the search experience.
According to the company, the new features will offer more opportunities for advertisers to meet consumer needs and establish stronger connections while maintaining control. For instance, if someone searches for ways to remove grass stains from pants, Google will display tips for stain removal and ads for stain removers.
Google added that shopping will play a more significant role in Lens image search, disclosing that 20% of the 20 billion monthly Lens searches are related to shopping.
When users upload a photo of a product to Lens, Google will attempt to find the exact item or a similar one using its shopping graph, which includes over 45 billion products. The search results will also include reviews, price comparisons, where to buy the item, and relevant shopping ads for US users to compare options and prices.
Furthermore, Google said users can now take videos and ask voice questions about the objects in the recording using Google Lens. They can also identify the songs they’re listening to without leaving the app they’re using.
Since the introduction of AI Overview in 2023, there has been speculation that its dominance of the search market was at risk as startups focused on search gained the interest of venture capitalists and rose to prominence.
Regarding revenue generation, the company is shifting users toward a single search answer powered by AI rather than multiple search results which has driven concerns about how the company can maintain its revenue per search.
