Google Tests AI-Only Version For Search Engines

JAKARTA - Google, Alphabet's subsidiary, launched an experimental version of its search engine on Wednesday, March 5 which completely eliminates the view of 10 classic blue links. Google, replaces it with a summary generated by AI.

This new feature is available to Google One AI Premium subscribers, who can access it via search results pages by clicking the "AI Mode" tab next to other options such as Images and Maps.

"We heard from advanced users that they wanted an AI response for their more searches," Robby Stein, Vice President of Products, said in a blog post.

Google One AI Premium is a subscription package for 19.99 US dollars (RP326 thousand) per month that offers additional cloud storage as well as special access to several AI features.

Currently, Google has displayed AI Overviews, which is a summary that appears at the top of traditional search results, for users in more than 100 countries. The company started adding ads to AI Overviews since May 2024.

With AI Mode, users will see a more in-depth AI summary with links to the quoted web page. Instead of showing 10 blue links, Google replaces them with search bar for further questions.

Google mentions that AI Mode is supported by a special version of the Gemini 2.0 model, which has better reasoning ability to handle complex queries.

Alphabet earned $ 350 billion (IDR 5,715 trillion) in 2024, mostly from search advertising. However, the company faces major challenges to its core business from AI competitors such as OpenAI, which Microsoft supports. OpenAI added a search function to ChatGPT in October 2024.

Google has made AI's integration into the search a major strategy. Alphabet's head of investment, Ruth Porat, confirmed this at a Reuters NEXT conference in December 2024.

However, this move has also drawn criticism. In February, the e-tech company Chegg sued Google. They accused its AI preview feature of eroding demand for original content and weakening the publisher's competitiveness.