by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan
Source: www.mediapost.com, October 2024
AI advancements have expanded the ability to get visual. Google claims people who use AI Overviews also use Search more, with better results. Products like Lens, which launched in 2017, help people search for what they see with their camera.
Lens now processes nearly 20 billion visual searches monthly.
Google’s rollout of AI-powered updates for search results and links was announced Thursday, along with AI Overviews ads on mobile in the U.S. and redesigned Shopping Ads to run along with Google Lens visual search results. The company said Lens also will now work with video and voice.
Ads that serve within AI Overviews are search and shopping ads from existing campaigns. A Google spokesperson said they are able to win the auction and address the query and the information in the platform.
Lens search has become multimodal through a combination of video, images, and voice inputs.
AI has begun to reorganize and explain content across the web. Advanced AI capabilities have been integrated to expand what Search can do, and the Gemini model has been customized for Search to improve the ability to help people discover more of what the web offers.
Shopping is one key use for Lens. Google serves more product information when using Lens, including a product’s price across retailers, reviews or places to buy.
Searches for a product can point to summaries and ads that have begun suggesting products related to the search query.
Lens searches are not stored by default. Users, however, can choose to keep a Visual Search History. Videos recorded with Lens are never saved.
The wide rollout of AI Overviews ads will be displayed in and alongside the AI-generated summaries appearing at the top of some search results in mobile.
The move is intended to demonstrate to investors who believe companies spend too much on AI development and infrastructure that the technology can generate revenue.
Google said no action is required from advertisers for their ads to appear as AI Overview ads.
Amazon and Microsoft made similar announcements this week, highlighting the importance of AI in search and advertising.
On Wednesday, Amazon announced five visual search features — from visual suggestions to circle to search. The new features allow customers to improve their shopping experience. All are currently offered on mobile only and available in the Amazon Shopping App.
Microsoft has taken the first steps into reasoning and vision capabilities for its AI Copilot models, making them available in beta within a new experimental site dubbed Copilot Labs.
The AI features are being made available to a small number of users.
Those who trial them will provide feedback, so Microsoft can learn and then apply the advice back into the products.
