Search surfaces
Search Generative Experience(SGE)
Google's 2023 experimental AI search interface that became AI Overviews.
The Search Generative Experience (SGE) was Google's 2023 experiment in putting a generative AI answer at the top of search. It ran in Google's Search Labs as an opt-in test and became the basis for AI Overviews, which rolled the feature out to general search in 2024.
SGE is mostly of historical interest now, but the name still appears in older documentation and research. Understanding it mainly helps you read the lineage: SGE proved the format, AI Overviews productionised it, and AI Mode extended it into a conversational surface.
The optimisation lessons carried straight through — extractable answers, entity clarity and corroboration were what SGE rewarded, and they remain what AI Overviews reward.
Related terms
AI Overviews
Google's AI-generated answer box at the top of search results.
Google AI Mode
Google's dedicated conversational AI search tab, distinct from the inline AI Overview.
AI Search
Search where an AI reads sources and writes one answer instead of listing links.
Featured Snippet
Google's boxed answer at the top of results, lifted verbatim from one ranking page.
Zero-Click Search
A search that ends on the results page, with no click to any website.
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