Google Search Chief Tells Employees 'Don't Hold Back Features Just Because There Might Be Occasional Problems'

The new head of search of Google by Alphabet GOOGL GOOG, Liz Reid, has conveyed that the company will not always be able to detect errors in AI searches. This statement was made at a recent all-hands meeting. 

What Happened: Reid, who was promoted to the position of vice president of search in March, addressed staff members at a company-wide meeting. She stressed that while AI-related issues may arise, the company should continue to release products and rely on employee and user feedback to identify and rectify these issues.

“It is important that we don’t hold back features just because there might be occasional problems, but more as we find the problems, we address them,” Reid said, CNBC reported on Thursday.

Reid’s comments come at a critical time for Google, as it competes with OpenAI and Microsoft in generative AI. The market for chatbots and related AI tools has surged since the introduction of ChatGPT by OpenAI in late 2022, offering users an alternative way to search for information online.

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Why It Matters: This rush to launch new products has led to several setbacks for Google. For instance, the recent release of AI Overview, which CEO Sundar Pichai described as the most significant change in search in 25 years, returned nonsensical or incorrect answers for user queries.

Despite the company’s significant strides in AI development, as acknowledged by analysts like Gene Munster, the technology has been less than perfect.

In the past, Google faced criticism for the launch of its AI-powered Gemini chatbot, which generated historically inaccurate images and text. Pichai admitted that these errors were “completely unacceptable” in an internal memo.

Despite these setbacks, Google has continued to push the boundaries of AI, as evident in its recent I/O 2024 keynote, where the company showcased its advancements in generative and agentic AI technologies.

Price Action: At the time of writing, GOOG was trading 1.30% lower at $177.22 while GOOGL was trading 1.40% lower at $175.30 on Thursday, according to Benzinga Pro.

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Image via Shutterstock

This story was generated using Benzinga Neuro and edited by Pooja Rajkumari