Google Working on a New Search Engine Called Project Magi
It could end up having a major impact on the way we search / shop online.
Following the launch of Google’s answer to ChatGPT, “Bard”, the new search engine will be more conversational, enabling users to complete transactions directly on Google.
As reported in the New York Times, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said: “Project Magi is a major undertaking. We’re using artificial intelligence to create a more personalized and relevant search experience for our users. We believe that Project Magi will change the way people interact with the internet.”
While still in development, Google is slowly rolling out new details about the project. What we know:
- It will use A.I. to better-understand the context of a user search, further enabling personalized and relevant results. For example, if a user searches for “restaurants near me,” the new engine will consider the user’s location, any previously modeled preferences, and past queries to provide a list of restaurants that are most likely to be of interest.
- Perhaps most exciting (and suggesting a sea-change for businesses and marketers) it will also allow users to complete transactions directly on Google. This means buying products, book flights, and make other purchases without having to click-through to another site. While this could end up being a significant convenience for users, (and perhaps lead to better sales performance for businesses) the ways in which this will ultimately impact marketing strategy remains a big question.
“…Magi is a game-changer,” said marketing expert David Meerman Scott. “It has the potential to revolutionize the way we interact with the internet. Marketers need to start thinking about how they can adapt their strategies to take advantage…”
Though still in development, even with the limited information we’ve seen so far, it is clear that Google’s intention is to change the way consumers engage with e-commerce businesses online. Further knowing that Google is never happy focusing on one small sliver of the market for long, we can anticipate that they will soon move on to other “conversions” like appointment bookings and quote requests.
As this happens, Marketers are going to find ourselves in familiar ground: chasing the change in an effort to figure out the best way to capitalize on it. Similar to the many algorithm updates that prompt ongoing revisions to SEO tactics, it will be interesting to see the impact of Project Magi from a strategic point of view.
