Google's Latest AI Updates Make Searching Feel Like Magic

Google recently made it easier to digest your most important Gmail messages with upgraded summary cards. Now, as part of a larger effort to use AI, the company is improving how we search for and understand information on Google.

These new features, announced by Google in a press release sent to Lifewire, showcase how artificial intelligence is being used to enhance tools like Search and Lens. The focus is on making interactions more seamless through voice, visuals, and text.

You might already know about Circle to Search. It lets you search for things by circling them on your screen. Now, it works with music, too. If you hear a song in a video or on a website, just long-press the home button or navigation bar, tap the music button, and Google will identify the song and artist. You can even open a YouTube video of the song right then and there.

Google is also using AI to organize search results into helpful categories. So, if you search for recipes, for example, you’ll see them grouped in a way that makes it easier to find what you’re looking for. Meal-related queries are all that’s supported for now.

Another update announced today applies to Google Lens. You can now use your voice to ask questions. Just point your camera at something, hold the shutter button, and ask away! Currently, this works only for mobile queries in English.

For shopping, Lens is getting a new and improved results page. If you see an item you like, such as a pair of shoes someone is wearing, Lens will use AI to identify the item and provide details like prices, reviews, and where you can buy it. It combines Google’s advanced AI models with its Shopping Graph. Comparing different buying options from a single snapshot lets you more easily decide if it’s right for you.

This one is still in the experimental phase (accessible through Search Labs) and only supports English, but you can now use video to search in Google Lens. If you’re not sure how to word your question, just record a video of what you’re looking for and speak whatever related questions come to mind. Google’s AI will analyze the video and your question to give you the most relevant results.

So go ahead—try these new features out and see how Google’s AI is making search feel a little more like magic.