code found in the latest beta version of the Google app (version 14.29) indicates that Google Assistant will soon be able to use generative AI to help summarize passages found on the internet. While browsing the web, a user can tap on a “Summarize” button when the Google Assistant’s presence is requested with the iconic “Hey Google” call out. Or, you can ask the Assistant to “Summarize this” to see a quick summary of what you are reading on the screen.
The Summarize suggestion will appear when browsing the internet using Chrome or when an app opens a web page in a Custom Tab (also powered by Chrome). At the moment, the feature does not work as requests for the Assistant to summarize a passage from a website return an error message as seen in the embedded image below.
While it isn’t clear if and when this feature will be made available, it is a strong possibility that the Google Assistant’s AI summary of internet content will be limited to Pixel phones and tablets only. Google Assistant is supposed to be more optimized and offer faster responses on a Pixel handset.
The problem with relying on AI to summarize a document is the same problem that is typical with artificial intelligence: the possibility that summaries from Google’s AI service will contain “hallucinations.” These AI platforms are “trained” using information derived from humans and could contain biases and outright incorrect data. But this is something that you need to keep in the back of your mind anytime you use AI to interpret information.
The Google app right now will also help answer your queries using generative AI on Android and iOS. All you have to do is tap the “Generate” button to the right of your question on the Google app and you’ll see more enhanced information related to your search. Again, you’ll need to watch out for hallucinations and biases, if any.
