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The Alphabet-owned company announced features Wednesday
aimed at helping people understand how apparel will fit on them, no matter
their body size, and added capabilities for finding products using its search
and image-recognition technology. Additionally, Google introduced new ways to
research travel destinations and map routes using generative AI — technology
that can craft text, images or even video from simple prompts.
“We want to make Google the place for consumers to come
shop, as well as the place for merchants to connect with consumers,” Maria
Renz, Google's vice president of commerce, said in an interview ahead of the
announcement. “We've always been committed to an open ecosystem and a healthy
web, and this is one way where we're bringing this technology to bear across
merchants.”
Google is the world's dominant search engine, but 46 percent
of respondents in a survey of US shoppers conducted last year said they still
started their product searches and research on Amazon, according to the
research firm CivicScience. TikTok, too, is making inroads, CivicScience's
research found — 18 percent of Gen Z online shoppers turn to the platform
first. Google is taking note, with some of its new, AI-powered shopping
exploration features aimed at capturing younger audiences.
A new virtual “try-on” feature, launching on Wednesday, will
let people see how clothes fit across a range of body types, from XXS to 4XL
sizes. Apparel will be overlaid on top of images of diverse models that the
company photographed while developing the capability.
Google said it was able to launch such a service because of
a new image-based AI model that it developed internally, and the company is
releasing a new research paper detailing its work alongside the announcement.
The depictions of the clothing take into consideration the way fabric stretches
and winkles as it's worn to produce lifelike images. The try-on feature will
start with women's tops, in partnership with retailers like Anthropologie and
Everlane, followed by men's clothing later.
The company also said it will begin pulling in more sources
of information as people test out its new “search generative experience” — a
service that Google first announced at its I/O developers conference last
month. For now, that offering is only available through the company's
experimental Search Labs product.
Google earlier announced that it was using a variety of
web-based sources to display AI-generated information on, say, the best hotel
for families at a particular vacation destination or the best waterproof
Bluetooth speaker. Now it's also adding in user reviews for its AI model to
draw on as well.
The company is rolling out new additions to existing
features on Google Maps, too. Immersive view, which uses AI to show people 3D
tours of landmarks, is rolling out to four new cities: Amsterdam and Dublin, as
well as Florence and Venice in Italy. Google is expanding its collection of
landmarks available on immersive view to more than 500 — on both the iOS and
Android apps — adding in such destinations as the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the
Prague Castle.
Glanceable directions, meanwhile, will let people see
turn-by-turn directions for walking, cycling and driving modes from their phone
lock screens. Google said people will also be able to see updated ETAs as they
follow their routes in real time. That feature is rolling out globally in June.
Some AI features on Google Lens — the image-recognition app
that uses a phone camera to identify objects and text — have been around for a
while, like discovering the name of a local dish by snapping a photo of it
while traveling. But on Wednesday, Google said it is launching the ability for
users to search for skin conditions using the app.
After a user takes a photo of a rash or a skin bump, Lens
will find visual matches for the image that could help inform people's
searches, the company said. The feature is meant to be a starting point for
research, not certified medical advice, Google said. © Bloomberg LP