O TikTok is testing a more robust search results page, including the use of artificial intelligence Generative (AI). The feature appears to be new and is called “search highlights".
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A snippet of the AI results appears at the top of some search results pages, and clicking on the section opens a new page with the full answer. In quick tests, I was able to find AI results for queries about recipes or topics like “best laptops 2024.”
A page explaining the results says that the material is generated using the ChatGPT, and that TikTok displays content “when [the algorithm] deems them relevant to your search.” The feature appears to be limited so far: not all queries have AI responses.
TikTok's AI search results page says the material is from ChatGPT and the algorithm displays answers when they are relevant to a search.
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The feature is called “AI Smart Search”.
There is also a similar feature called “search highlights” that is not labeled as AI-generated. These also appear at the top of search results, but it is not clear where this information comes from, as if it were summarizing videos or taking it from somewhere else. TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the features.
The video platform has been constantly adding more features to its in-app search. Last fall, TikTok began testing adding Google search results Google on your in-app results page, which basically acted as a link back to the Google. TikTok has also experimented with adding links to Wikipedia, IMDb and other sites directly on the app's search results page.
TikTok is trying to take advantage of some of the habits its users – especially younger ones – developed on the app. Many younger users treat TikTok like a search engine, choosing to look for restaurant or product recommendations on the app rather than using platforms like Google. And how the Google, TikTok now appears to be banking on AI results by including them above creator content.
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