Elastic Search 8.11: ELSER model is now GA and customers can use it in production to elevate search experience

Elastic Search 8.11 introduces the general availability of the Elastic Learned Sparse EncodeR Model (ELSER), enabling semantic search for more relevant results based on user intent rather than exact keyword matches. The release also enhances Elasticsearch's capabilities as a vector database with updates to generative AI, improved dense vector mappings, and a more intuitive ingestion process. The platform expands its connector catalog for private data sources like Outlook, Teams, Zoom, and Box, supporting enhanced document-level security and binary content extraction for large files. Additionally, the standalone Workplace Search product enters maintenance mode, with Elasticsearch recommended for internal knowledge search use cases. These updates are available on Elastic Cloud, offering both hosted and self-managed deployment options.