Google is opening its AI-powered search tool, Search Generative Experience (SGE), to teenagers in the United States. This tool can generate answers to questions in a more conversational way than traditional search results, and Google has added safeguards to prevent it from generating inappropriate or harmful content.
SGE has been available as part of Google Search Labs since late May, but it was previously only available to a limited number of users. Google is now opening SGE to all teenagers in the US, aged 13-17. The company says that it made this decision based on the positive feedback it received from younger users who tested SGE.
Google says that it has taken a number of steps to make SGE safe for teenagers. For example, the company has put in place stronger guardrails to prevent SGE from generating content related to illegal or age-gated substances, bullying, and other sensitive topics. Google is also working with experts in teen development to ensure that SGE is appropriate for its target audience.
Google believes that SGE can be a valuable tool for teenagers who are learning and exploring the world. The company says that SGE can help teenagers to find information more easily, and to understand complex topics in a more accessible way.
Here are some examples of how teenagers can use SGE:
- A teenager who is studying for a history test can ask SGE to “Explain the causes of the American Civil War in a way that I can understand.”
- A teenager who is researching a science project can ask SGE to “Tell me about the different types of renewable energy and how they work.”
- A teenager who is writing a creative story can ask SGE to “Generate some ideas for interesting characters and plot twists.”
Google is still developing SGE, and the company says that it will continue to gather feedback from users to improve the tool. However, Google believes that SGE is already ready to be used by teenagers, and the company is excited to see how teenagers use SGE to learn and explore.
Google is also adding new features to SGE to make it more transparent and informative for users.
- About this result tool: Google is adding an “About this result” tool to SGE responses, which will help users understand how the AI settled on its answers. This tool will also be available for individual URLs within AI-generated answers, so users can learn more about the web pages that support the information in SGE responses.
- AI Literacy Guide: Google has published an AI Literacy Guide to help people understand generative AI and how to use SGE and other AI projects responsibly. The guide includes tips, FAQs, and discussions about the capabilities and limitations of generative AI.
- Improvements to false and offensive content: Google is making improvements to SGE to better detect and prevent the generation of false or offensive content. The company is rolling out an update to train the AI model to better detect “hallucinations” or inappropriate content, and it is also working on using large language models to “critique” their first draft responses and rewrite them with quality and safety in mind.
Google is committed to making SGE a safe and informative tool for teenagers. The company believes that generative AI can help teenagers to ask questions that they couldn’t typically get answered by a search engine, and to pose follow-up questions to help them dig deeper into topics. Google wants to strike the right balance in creating opportunities for teenagers to benefit from SGE, while also prioritizing their safety and developmental needs.
