In response to Microsoft’s challenge, Google adds AI

Google is introducing more artificial intelligence (AI) into its search product, following in the footsteps of Microsoft’s Bing. At its annual I/O conference in Mountain View, California, the company unveiled a new version of its namesake engine called the “search generative experience”, which can respond to open-ended queries with crafted responses while maintaining its usual list of links. Sundar Pichai, Alphabet’s CEO, said that generative AI is also being integrated into products such as Gmail, which can create draft messages, and Google Photos, which can modify images. The move comes after OpenAI introduced its ChatGPT, which has become the default version of generative AI, helping users create text, images and software code. Google’s entrance into the area of generative AI has prompted a trial phase where the company will monitor the quality, speed and cost of search results before offering it to US consumers via a wait list in the coming weeks.