Google has announced that its AI Overviews feature, which provides summarized answers to certain search queries, will soon be able to handle more complex topics and multimodal searches, including advanced math questions and coding problems. This expansion is driven by the newly launched Gemini 2.0 model, which promises to deliver improvements in search speed and quality.

The limited test of the new AI Overviews feature will begin this week, with a broad rollout expected early next year. According to Google CEO Sundar Pichai, AI Overviews have already reached 1 billion people, enabling them to ask entirely new types of questions and quickly becoming one of the most popular Search features ever. Pichai also mentioned that Google will continue to bring AI Overviews to more countries and languages over the next year.

The increasing prominence of AI in Google's core search product is seen as a strategic move to keep users from shifting to alternative AI-powered search engines like Perplexity and ChatGPT Search. These newer search engines use AI to answer many of the questions traditionally searched for, including those about math and programming. By expanding AI Overviews' capabilities, Google aims to maintain its dominance in the search market.

However, AI Overviews has been the subject of much controversy since its launch this spring. The feature has been criticized for providing dubious statements and questionable advice, such as recommending adding glue to pizza. A recent report from SE Ranking, an SEO platform, found that AI Overviews cites websites that "aren't entirely reliable or evidence-based," including outdated studies and paid product listings.

The main issue with AI Overviews is its difficulty in discerning whether a source of information is fact, fiction, satire, or serious. Over the past few months, Google has changed how AI Overviews works, limiting answers related to current events and health topics. While the company acknowledges that AI Overviews is not perfect, it claims that the feature has led to a boost in Search engagement, especially among people aged 18 to 24 – a key demographic for the company.

Google has also taken steps to monetize AI Overviews by adding ads on mobile for certain "relevant" queries. This move has drawn criticism from publishers who claim that the feature is negatively affecting their traffic. Google says it continues to take publishers' concerns into account in workshopping its AI search experiences.

Notably, AI Overviews is a target in the Justice Department's antitrust lawsuit against Google, which seeks to break up what a judge ruled to be an illegal monopoly in search. The DOJ is asking that Google let sites opt out of AI Overviews without being penalized in Google Search results. As the feature continues to evolve, it remains to be seen how Google will address these concerns and balance its business interests with user needs.

In conclusion, Google's expansion of AI Overviews' capabilities marks a significant development in the search landscape. While the feature has faced controversy and criticism, its potential to revolutionize search experiences cannot be ignored. As AI continues to play a larger role in search, it will be crucial for Google and other search engines to prioritize accuracy, reliability, and transparency in their AI-powered features.