Google tests hiding Search to AI features instead

Google is running a test in Search that removes the eponymous button in favour of promoting AI features.

As first spotted by Search Engine Watch, some Google users have been seeing a version of Google’s website that features buttons for three AI features in place of Search: “Create images,” “Ask about files,” and “Brainstorm.” (Curiously, “I’m Feeling Lucky” remains, however.)

The names in the new Search layout are pretty self-explanatory; the first two features allow you to use AI to generate images or answer questions related to files, respectively, while the last one can seemingly start a chatbot exchange about a given topic. Search Engine Watch notes that Google’s homepage is changing for some users depending on if they’re signed into their Google accounts, with some who are logged out getting these AI features alongside the search box. After signing in, they vanished.

For what it’s worth, I’m not getting this alternate version of Search on my MacBook Air in the Greater Toronto Area, even when I’m signed out of my Google account. Here’s an image of what the retooled Search looks like, courtesy of Search Engine Watch:

Image credit: Search Engine Watch

It’s unclear how widespread these tests are or whether Google even plans to roll them out widely. Either way, it’s yet another sign of how the tech giant has been shoving AI into Search, even though it’s had disastrous results. In a report last month, Cloudflare outlined how Google AI is killing the internet, from driving many people away from websites to spreading misinformation with its AI Overviews in Search.

Source: Search Engine Watch