Google rethinks search results with its new AI-curated ‘Web Guide’

Thursday, Google launched Web Guide, a new research feature fueled by AI which “groups links in a useful way” for people who opt for the laboratories. Web Guide runs on a personalized version of the Gemini AI model from Google to treat research requests, reorganize traditional “10 blue links” by sorting out the results and finding related questions using a generative AI.

For anyone who chooses to activate the web guide, it is currently available in the same “Web” tab on Google Search which currently displays search results without including IA previews. He uses the same “query fanout technique” as AI mode, allowing Gemini to decompose requests and do several research at the same time.

When I searched “how to take care of a mango”, Google’s web guide has drawn two relevant web pages, followed by a summary generated by AI and the links listed in different categories, such as “mango care in specific climates” and “troubleshooting mango problems”. Certain links came from educational resources, as from the University of Florida, while others led to YouTube, Quora and Reddit videos. Last year, Google concluded an agreement of $ 60 million per year with Reddit to use its content for AI training.

It is pleasant that the web guide brings certain traditional research elements, such as displaying links at the top of your results page instead of bombing with an AI preview and YouTube videos that occupy almost half of the page. The categories generated by AI were somewhat useful for finding specific information, but descriptions under each section seem unnecessary.

Under the “complete mango care guides”, for example, the Web Note guide, “the most effective way to take care of a mango tree varies slightly depending on your age, location and specific cultivar, it is therefore useful to consult several guides for full instructions”, which is a little obvious, and probably something that I could find myself by actually clicking on one of the surfaced links.

You can also use the web guide to ask more detailed or specific questions, as “my family is spread over several time zones. What are the best tools to stay connected and maintain close relationships despite the distance? ” AI results will try to deal with the different parts of your question.

You can always go back to regular web results, but Google already says that it also plans to bring it in the “All” tab. You can try the web guide now by tilting the test in search laboratories.