Project Magi: The Latest Google Announcement

Google has recently announced another major step in its ongoing push towards AI integration as it looks to fight off competition from other search engines for both search usage and major contracts.

Google’s new development is called Project Magi and we’ll break down an early first look at it, what it entails, and how it will affect both Google and search as a whole moving forward.

What Is Project Magi?

Coming hot on the heels of Google’s recent Bard announcement, the California giant has now announced the upcoming Magi project.

Details are a little fuzzy right now but, fundamentally, Magi represents the next step in Google’s AI integration as they move towards releasing a brand new search engine.

 

Google is working on an all-new search engine to incorporate more AI while at the same time working on Project Magi for more short term changes to the existing search engine https://t.co/ceYKBKTJzm

— Barry Schwartz (@rustybrick) April 16, 2023

That’s right, Google is looking to release a new search engine. This may answer some of the queries we’ve had about how AI will affect current search usage, but it raises just as many questions as we wonder what form this new search engine will take.

Magi is not the new search engine itself. Instead, Magi is a new project that will be used to enhance both their current search engine model and this prospective new one.

Project Magi Increases Personalization

The buzz around Magi integration and this prospective new search engine is that it will allow for increased personalization of search results.

While details remain hazy this makes sense as the use of LLMs (Large Language Models) will allow the search engine to understand user intent better and provide specific results tailored to that unique query in a more conversational manner.

This isn’t the first time Google has pushed for more search personalization, but with the advancements in AI interactivity, they should be able to provide a more personalized and specific search experience.

Google Gets Chatty

This conversational manner is created by the ChatGPT-like chat interface in which queries will be more conversational and transactional, allowing users to build on previous queries to develop a more rounded search experience.

 

[JUST IN]

Google has just revealed Project “Magi,” their new #AI search engine to rival #ChatGPT, Bing Chat, and the likes! 🤯

– It will have a chat-like interface, similar to ChatGPT.
– There are rumours that Google may be replacing their 10-result SERPs with Magi to provide… pic.twitter.com/6g7dPShQAo

— DataChazGPT 🤯 (not a bot) (@DataChaz) April 17, 2023

Magi Cashes In

We mentioned how the conversations will be transactional as they adopt a more conversational model but this is a much more literal take on transactions.

Magi will allow users to make transactions directly from the search results.

Needless to say, this is massive and offers real revenue opportunities for anyone that can get their products to appear in an integrated manner in the results.

 

BREAKING: Google has revealed that 160+ engineers are working on Project Magi, their answer to ChatGPT.

Project Magi is designed to allow searchers to perform transactions seamlessly while also integrating search ads within the page. (1/6) pic.twitter.com/TBHlJUfJgp

— Jacky Chou (buying niche sites up to $1m) (@indexsy) April 17, 2023

One example often being used is that you could look up flight details and then book them directly from the search results.

Searchers could pair this particularly well with Google Pay for a seamless search experience in which purchases can be made without ever having to leave the search results page.

Google’s Increased Use Of AI

Magi is only the latest in a series of moves by Google to further integrate AI into its search offerings.

We’ve already covered Bard and the first faltering steps they took on its initial announcement and release.

There has recently been some drama as Google is set to lose a lucrative contract with Samsung as they look to instead include Bing as the default search engine on their devices.

This could cost Google $3 billion and is a timely reminder of why Google is so keen to stand out amongst its competitors, even with its famed domination of the search space.

The Magi announcement is just the newest way they are aiming to keep up with the competition and cement their relevance in an increasingly volatile landscape – both within and outside the world of search.

Alongside Magi, Google is also working on:

• GIFI – an addition to Google Images that will allow it to create AI-generated images, much like Bing does now
• Tivoli Tutor – a language tutor that lets users learn new languages by having interactive conversations with AI
• Searchalong – an addition to Chrome that allows users to ask a chatbot questions while they browse the web like normal
• Google Earth – general improvements to their mapping technology using AI-powered processing

How Will Google Magi Affect SEO?

Magi represents the latest in a series of developments that might affect the implementation and implications of SEO moving forward.

As with previous developments and announcements like Bard, there are fears about how these changes will affect SERP real estate and results.

If these initial announcement examples are true the race for results will be a lot more competitive. There is simply less SERP real estate and fewer results being displayed, at least in the initial announcement mockups.

This will create an even tougher environment for SEO but, coupled with the direct payment integration, the rewards will be even greater for those who do manage to secure top billing in the search result, especially for those operating in e-commerce SEO, again because of those integrated payment options.

SEO will continue to grow to encompass the emergent field of Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) and together SEO and AEO will continue to build up on current best practices for usability to return the best possible results and user experience for all searchers and search engines.

The Future Of Search

Magi, and the unnamed new search engine, are just the latest in the ongoing growth and expansion of the multi-billion dollar SEO industry.

Could Project Magi be as smart as the wise old magi it’s named after? Only time will tell. Stick with us as we continue to chart these changes and exciting developments.

All we know right now is that SEO still isn’t dead!