A patent granted to Google may describe how Google’s new Search Generative Experience works.
Google applied for the patent, “Generative summaries for search results”, on March 20, 2023. It was issued on September 26. The full version can be read here.
Abstract. The patent’s abstract reads:
Dig deeper. Juan González Villa wrote a very detailed and extensive deep dive on this patent. In the piece, The Patent Behind Google SGE, he writes “The patent, which describes how to “selectively use a large language model (LLM) to generate a natural language summary in response to a user query,” matches what we see and know about SGE today,” he wrote.
Diagrams. Here are some select diagrams from the patent:
Why we care. Reading this patent may help you better understand how the Search Generative Experience works. Keep in mind just because Google has patent, it doesn’t mean it’s used. Googlers apply for and receive approval on patents all the time.
This one is probably worth a weekend read, but don’t expect to find any SGE ranking secrets within.