Roman GłogulskiGoogle has announced the introduction of two new artificial intelligence (AI) tools that will significantly simplify searching for things online. Users of Android devices will soon be able to mark or underline elements that appear on their smartphone screens to obtain more information, as well as ask more complex questions about images or text.
The company has been testing these tools based on generative AI, the technology used by popular chatbots like ChatGPT, to make searching more personalized and intuitive since last year.
The new functionality was introduced during the Samsung Unpacked event earlier this week and will be available in the latest Galaxy S24 smartphone lineup, which will be launched later this month. The tool will also be available on several other flagship Android smartphones, including the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, starting from January 3.
The first feature, called “Circle to Search,” allows Android users to mark, touch, underline, or scribble on images, videos, or text to learn more about what they see, such as a landmark in the background or someone’s profile on social media.
Additionally, users will be able to point their phone camera (or upload a photo or screenshot) and ask a question through the Google app to obtain information. Google provided an example of encountering an unfamiliar board game at a garage sale and using the tool to inquire about the rules of that game.
Google is continuously making changes to its search engine, such as voice search or the Lens tool, which uses image recognition technology through the smartphone camera to gather more information about the surrounding world.
The new AI tools provided by Google highlight the increasing interest in technology among major tech companies like Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta, who are competing to introduce similar innovations.
“The company has only just begun to scratch the surface of what is possible,” said an official Google press release.
