How to Watch Google’s AI Search Event Live

“We’re starting with AI-powered capabilities in search that distill complex information into easy-to-understand formats so you can see the big picture and then explore more,” said Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google wrote on Twitter in advance of the event. Despite recent layoffs, the company remains an assertive force in Silicon Valley. The viral success of other generative AI models, most notably OpenAI’s ChatGPT, put pressure on the company to accelerate its experimental research for public use.

Google dominated the online search business for years, while Microsoft’s Bing remained a distant competitor. Microsoft, an OpenAI investor, plans to bring generative AI into its search engine to differentiate the experience from Google and attract more users. Will this year be a renaissance for Bing? Who knows, but users can expect to see more AI-generated texts soon when navigating their search engine of choice.

With all of these announcements, one key question remains: Is Generative AI actually ready to help you surf the web? These models are costly to power and hard to keep up to date, and they love making shit up. Public engagement with the technology is changing rapidly as more people try the tools, but the positive impact of generative AI on consumer search experiences remains largely unproven.

During the event, Google may release more information about one of its responses to ChatGPT, an AI service called “Bard” that uses the company’s language model for conversational applications. It’s not yet available to the public, but the company claims it’s rolling out the feature for a small group to try out, and that more people will experience Bard in the near future.

You may be familiar with AI text and images, but these media are just the starting point for generative AI. Google is starting to share even more information about its research into the possibilities of AI audio and AI video. Many Silicon Valley startups are also vying for attention (and unexpected investment) as more mainstream applications for large language models emerge.

Are you curious about the boom in generative AI and want to learn more about this emerging technology? Check out WIRED’s extensive (human-written) coverage of the topic, including how teachers are using it in schools, how fact-checkers are tackling potential disinformation, and how it could change customer service forever.