APPLICATIONS
Visual searches are already being conducted billions of times a month . As technology gets more sophisticated , how consumers use search engines is changing
WRITTEN BY : MARCUS LAW
The search engine is undergoing a transformation .
Thanks to advances in artificial intelligence ( AI ) and machine vision , users can increasingly use more natural and more visual ways for people to input searches and get results .
Since the 1970s , scientists have been training algorithms to decipher visual imagery . But in the last 50 years , the sophistication of what a computer can perceive has increased dramatically .
Leading the pack , Google recently unveiled its ‘ multisearch ’ functionality , which combines text and visual search capabilities through its Lens tool .
And , with Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai saying visual searches are already being conducted more than eight billion times a month , use is growing . According to research by Insider Intelligence , among US adults aged 34 and younger , 30 % had used visual search for shopping as of August 2022 , and 12 % used it regularly . aimagazine . com 73