… so overall, Google and the Search Quality team have done an impressive job improving search with the aid of artificial intelligence. The move follows two years of experimentation by the tech giant with AI-summarized results, or AI Overviews, in Google Search. Since then, the company has ramped up these features to more than 120 countries and territories. India, Brazil, Japan, the UK, Indonesia and Mexico are all key markets now.
The increased rollout of AI Overviews is a clear indication that Google is prioritizing users with the most succinct and relevant information. That little-known feature is now used by more than 1.5 billion users each month, in over 100 countries. And Google is constantly tweaking the search algorithms in real-time. Simultaneously, it’s adding more AI features to its SERPs, setting the stage for more powerful and smarter search experiences.
To help address this, Google has introduced a new feature: Circle to Search. This gives users the ability to initiate a search from any screen on their Android device simply with a swipe and gesture. We’ve been fortunate to have a wonderful adoption for this new innovative tool – shooting up nearly 40% quarter-over-quarter. Circle to Search has just released on more than 250 million devices! That’s a staggering leap up from the last estimate of 200 million connected devices.
Like we recently reported since last October, Google has incorporated advertising prominently into AI Overviews. This change has created exciting new opportunities for brands to connect with users through this groundbreaking new search experience. As Google Search CEO Sundar Pichai has previously stated, these innovations are a key part of driving user experience. He seeks to deepen engagement by offering a wider lens of strategic intention.
When it comes to visual search capabilities, Google’s Lens service has experienced significant growth. That said, searches made via Google Lens have doubled in the last five billion since last October. Specifically, in the January to March quarter of this year, consumers started using visual search for retail in a big way. Google Lens for shopping was used more than 10 times as much.
These changes are a continuation of Google’s big pushes to use artificial intelligence in radically changing the way users find and use information online. Google is bringing more tools such as AI Overviews and Circle to Search. This expansion is all about making search more intuitive and efficient for users across the globe.