Generative AI coming to Google Search is a given at this point, and a new report today details that it’s happening in two stages, with project “Magi” arriving imminently.
According to the New York Times, Google is “upgrading the existing [search engine] with A.I. features” as part of project Magi, which is a sorcerer and vaguely inline with Bard naming-wise. It’s said to offer a “far more personalized experience than the company’s current service.”
Magi would allow Search “answer questions about software coding and write code based on a user’s request,” which Google has the technology for with PaLM. Users will have the ability to ask follow-up questions, while it would feature ads under generated results.
Google currently has 160 designers, engineers, and executives working full-time and quickly iterating on Magi. As of last week, employees have been invited to test and query Magi, with a public launch coming in May, which sounds like I/O 2023, and more features coming this fall.
Generated AI insights in Search that Google previously previewed alongside Bard in February
The initial launch will be significantly gated to the United States, and limited to a maximum of 1 million users before increasing to 30 million by year’s end.
Beyond Magi, the NYT says, “Google is racing to build an all-new search engine powered by [AI],” but this effort is still in the early stages:
The system would learn what users want to know based on what they’re searching when they begin using it. And it would offer lists of preselected options for objects to buy, information to research and other information. It would also be more conversational — a bit like chatting with a helpful person.
Lastly, according to today’s report, Google learned in March that “Samsung was considering replacing Google with Microsoft’s Bing as the default search engine on its devices.” This presumably refers to Android phones and tablets.
Google assumes Bing’s AI features are why Samsung might want to switch. The Times adds that the “contract is under negotiation, and Samsung could stick with Google.” The company is countering with a pitch of its own to Samsung.
An estimated $3 billion in annual revenue was at stake with the Samsung contract. An additional $20 billion is tied to a similar Apple contract that will be up for renewal this year.
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