Google is gradually rolling out a new AI-powered upgrade to its Google Chrome browser that is aimed at readers. The world’s most popular web browser is getting a new feature backed by artificial intelligence, called Search Generative Experience (SGE). It is gradually rolling out to mobile users first, according to the company. SGE will be able to summarise web articles and eliminate the need to scroll through long articles — reducing screen time in the process. According to Google, this feature is still in the ‘early experiment’ stage, which is why is it being slowly rolled out to users.
The name of this upcoming feature from Google Chrome is ‘SGE while browsing’. The feature is designed to use AI to generate key points for online articles, that are available without a paywall.
“’SGE while browsing’ was specifically designed to help people more deeply engage with long-form content from publishers and creators. You’ll be able to hover over certain words to preview definitions and see related diagrams or images on the topic. You can find answers to how-to questions, and see suggested code snippets for common tasks,” Rany Ng Google VP of Product Management (Search), explained in an official blog post.
The feature, that was first unveiled three months ago, is first being made available on the Google app for Android and iOS. It will be rolled out to Chrome users on desktop in the coming days.
How to sign up for early access to Google’s new AI features via Search Labs
1) Update the Google Chrome app on your smartphone or desktop.
2) Visit the Google Search Labs website while using Google Chrome.
3) Opt in to try the ‘SGE while browsing’ feature which is available as a standalone experiment.
For now, apart from summarising text articles, the SGE feature will also provide AI inputs and explanations for programming languages and tools. The tech giant has also invited feedback from people who try this feature through Search Labs.
Earlier this year, the company announced handy new AI tools that are centred around its search service, a Duet AI tool for Workspace apps like Google Docs, and an app aimed at students. Many of these new features are currently in public preview and may not work at their full potential.
