Google on generative AI, voice and the future of travel search

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The new age of search will embrace generative artificial intelligence and voice search and will be laser-focused on working with partners

Dec 4, 2024

During a session at the Phocuswright conference, Julie Farago, Google’s vice president of engineering for travel and local search, shared insights about her team of 700 engineers who manage two billion searches a day – 15% of which are brand new to Google.

Key takeaways

Non-text searches, especially voice-based queries, are on the rise. Farago pointed to a shift in user behavior: “We’re in this moment of evolution where we’re moving from questions to conversations, from people having to translate a question into Google-speak into a few succinct keywords that might get the results they want, to something much more dialog-driven;”
Generative AI is central to Google’s search strategy, particularly in the travel space: “Travel is the perfect place to showcase what’s possible in AI. Travel is an area that’s extraordinarily complex to plan, and there’s also a lot at stake – emotionally and financially,” Farago explained;
In response to concerns about trust in AI, particularly in the context of AI hallucinations, Farago emphasized Google’s commitment to both innovation and accountability: “We tag all generative AI results. We also do a lot of work on factuality.” She emphasized Google’s focus on being “bold and responsible” as it navigates this rapidly evolving landscape.

Watch the full session on PhocusWire