Google has unveiled a novel feature that harnesses the power of AI to provide summaries of lengthy articles, enhancing the reading experience for users.
Google’s New AI Tool: Summarizing Long Articles
This innovative feature, known as “SGE while browsing” (Search Generative Experience), is currently in its experimental phase. It is designed to address the common challenge of comprehending intricate and lengthy web pages while seeking specific details. As Google acknowledged in a blog post, users often find it challenging to extract key insights from extensive articles.
Google’s blog post stated, “When you’re trying to understand the ins and outs of a new topic, you often need to digest long or complex web pages, and it’s not always easy to hone in on specific details.”
Enhancing Accessibility and User Experience
The “SGE while browsing” feature is being rolled out as an early experiment within Google’s opt-in Search Labs program. This ensures that users who are already a part of SGE will have access to this functionality. For those who haven’t opted in yet, there’s an option to manually join the program.
Initially available on Android and iOS through the Google app, the feature is set to expand to the Chrome browser on desktop platforms in the near future.
How It Works
For mobile users accessing the Google app, the feature offers a simplified solution. By tapping on the icon at the bottom, the search engine will retrieve “key points” from the article. However, it’s important to note that this feature will exclusively work with articles that are freely accessible on the internet. Articles behind paywalls or marked as premium content by publishers won’t be compatible with the summarization feature.
Future Enhancements and Applications
Google’s commitment to refining user experience extends beyond article summarization. The company is actively working on augmenting the SGE feature by allowing users to hover over specific words in the summarized results. This action will trigger definitions or diagrams related to the topic, further enhancing comprehension.
Moreover, Google aims to facilitate the understanding of coding through SGE. It recognizes that both novice and experienced programmers often seek insights into coding. As a response, Google will introduce capabilities that make it easier to understand and debug generated code.
AI-Assisted Writing and Editing
Beyond article summaries, Google has plans to introduce AI-assisted writing and editing features, particularly for Chromebooks. This project is represented by several codenames, with “Orca,” “Mako,” and “Manta” being the primary ones, according to reports from 9To5Google.
In a world where information overload is a common challenge, Google’s AI-powered advancements, such as article summarization and AI-assisted writing, stand to empower users by providing them with efficient tools to navigate and comprehend content effectively.
