Photo credit: www.androidauthority.com
AI Overview has become a significant aspect of Google’s search strategy, whether users appreciate it or not. Personally, I find myself in the opposing camp, as I see little value in this experimental AI feature. It tends to occupy a considerable amount of screen space in search results and frequently presents conflicting information. Nonetheless, I’ve accepted its presence and sought to navigate the experience. Ultimately, I discovered a productive way to utilize AI Overview, particularly in the realm of culinary inspiration.
AI Overview Fuels My Culinary Creativity
When I’m in need of fresh meal ideas or looking to refine my cooking skills, I often turn to various Android apps for assistance. However, there are times when my usual resources fall short, particularly when I return from a vacation and lack the motivation to decide what to cook. Typically, I would use apps like Samsung Food for guidance, but this time, I turned to AI Overview out of desperation.
My goal was to devise a hearty stew for my first dinner back home. But I didn’t stop there—what about meals for the remainder of the week? I decided to simplify my search and typed the following into Google:
7 day meal plan.
This straightforward query surprisingly yielded a wealth of recommendations. AI Overview provided a structured meal plan, complete with three daily dishes (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) for an entire week. The results were both comprehensive and useful.
Each suggested recipe came with a brief description, links to their original sources, user ratings, estimated preparation times, and appealing images of the final dishes. Essentially, it consolidated what would usually require several search results into a neat list that was easy to navigate.
Intrigued by the results I received, I decided to further test the capability of AI Overview by experimenting with various prompts. Some examples included:
- 5-day family meal plan
- Create a meal plan for kids under 8
- Create a meal plan for an active athlete preparing for a marathon
- Meal plan for an abundance of lemons
- 3-day meal plan for a lazy single person
- Create a meal plan for a vegetarian (excluding lettuce)
- Design a three-course meal for a pasta enthusiast
- Develop a 12-course meal for a lavish French dinner party
The results from these queries were impressively tailored to the keywords I employed. For example, the suggestion for a “12-course meal” was particularly useful for planning a more elaborate dinner party, while the meal plan geared towards athletes included plenty of carbohydrate-rich options to meet their energy needs. However, despite these successes, the feature is not without its limitations. Given the finite number of available recipes online, I encountered some repetition within meal plans; a suggestion for muffins appeared multiple times in the “Meal plan for lots of lemons” query.
It is important to note that AI Overview’s meal recommendations should not replace guidance from a nutrition expert. After all, this is the same system that once suggested bizarre recipes like glue-topped pizza. While the platform provides the source for each recipe, allowing users to verify their quality, it’s wise not to treat its recommendations as unequivocal truth.
The intention behind my use of AI Overview was to ignite creativity in meal planning, not to create a scientifically balanced diet. For structured meal planning that requires precise nutritional balance, services designed specifically for that purpose, like Samsung Food or MyFitnessPal, would be more appropriate.
Inconsistent User Experience Detracts from Its Potential
There are noticeable discrepancies between the results when using AI Overview on my desktop versus my mobile device. Although I utilized Chrome on both platforms, my Pixel 8 presented a vastly simplified layout that lacked the richer links and detailed recipes available on the desktop version. This inconsistency can significantly reduce the utility of the feature for many users. While the mobile version took my location into account, this did not enhance the quality of the results.
One might wonder why I wouldn’t just utilize Gemini for meal planning. On mobile, I would likely lean toward Gemini given the results I obtained with AI Overview, but on desktops, the latter excels. Gemini operates fundamentally as a chatbot, providing only text output without links or established recipes. In contrast, AI Overview’s integration within Google Search allows it to present actual results in a more informative and organized format, compacted into an expandable list that is user-friendly.
Despite its failings, particularly with the mobile interface, I find myself reluctantly acknowledging that AI Overview has enhanced my culinary explorations—especially reigniting my affection for lemon poppy seed muffins.
Source
www.androidauthority.com