The Google search engine is ready to offer users a new service – document search, which can be downloaded from their local machine. The corresponding function is found directly in the search bar.
Image source: BoliviaInteligente / unsplash.com
The mechanism of the new function was demonstrated by social network user X Khushal Bherwani. A button with an image of a paperclip has appeared in the Google search bar, next to the voice search and Lens buttons. By clicking on the button with the image of a paperclip, the user uploads a file from his computer to Google, after which the search engine offers to “ask anything about the file” directly in the search bar.
Image source: x.com/b4k_khushal
Document search works in a similar way in ChatGPT – here users can also upload files and ask questions about them; The Google Gemini chatbot has a similar feature, but to use it, you will need a paid Gemini Advanced subscription. The appearance of this function in a free search engine, on the one hand, will increase its value in the eyes of users; on the other hand, it may raise some doubts about data protection – when downloading files with confidential information, it is really better to be more careful.
It is not yet clear what the scale of this experiment is, and whether this feature has a chance of widespread deployment. It is also unknown whether Google will limit itself to the web interface or add the ability to analyze local files to the mobile application.