Google has been quite publicly freaking out since the launch of ChatGPT in late 2022, but things got more serious last fall, when OpenAI released ChatGPT Search, a direct competitor to Google Search.
This has become a real enough threat to Google that the number of Google searches in Safari fell for the first time ever in April.
Google also recently saw its share of the search market dip below 90 percent for the first time in a decade, as AI search takes off.
Instead of plugging keywords into the old Google search box, I’ve been entering complex queries and getting back detailed reports.
(It’s currently only available for people who subscribe to Google AI Plus or AI Ultra plans or for people running beta versions of Chrome.)
While using Google’s new AI moviemaking tool to make cartoons of my 4-pound Chihuahua fighting crime and asking the company’s sophisticated AI to explain in detail how to become an expert birdwatcher in my neighborhood, I came to a realization. Google is either going through a midlife crisis or I am. Both possibilities are possible.
Since ChatGPT’s late 2022 launch, Google has been publicly freaking out. However, last fall, OpenAI’s ChatGPT Search, a direct rival to Google Search, made matters more serious. Google announced 100 new initiatives at its I/O developer conferences last week, the majority of which focused on artificial intelligence. The search giant is undoubtedly experiencing a midlife crisis, and according to one industry expert, “it’s glorious.” This is the new narrative that has emerged.
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A weekly dispatch that ensures technology is working for you rather than taking up too much of your time. As reported by Adam Clark Estes, senior technology correspondent.
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After experimenting with Google’s new artificial intelligence tools for the past week, I can say with confidence that the company is sitting somewhere between crisis and glory. We might not know which route prevails for years.
It’s unclear which company will rule the next era or how we’ll interact with AI as it permeates every aspect of our digital experience.
But the greatest danger to Google’s hegemony may not come from the government. In recent years, as more people rely on ChatGPT and Perplexity to find information online, artificial intelligence has been eroding the web’s foundation. These AI chatbots retrieve data from websites and provide you with a concise synopsis. This is now a serious enough threat to Google that, in April, there were fewer Google searches in Safari than ever before. As AI search gains traction, Google’s market share of searches recently fell below 90% for the first time in ten years. Neither is TikTok.
Google has been working to reimagine itself in light of this reality since realizing it a few years ago. A few years back, it introduced AI Overviews, which are condensed versions of search results produced by Google’s massive language model, Gemini. Later this year, Google built on that idea with AI Mode, a chatbot-powered search experience that is incredibly similar to ChatGPT and Perplexity and is also powered by Gemini. Look for a glittery button labeled “AI Mode” on the right-hand side of the search field. The company said last week that AI Mode will be available to all Americans in the upcoming weeks. “.”.
I’ve spent the last week attempting to learn how to birdwatch using AI Mode. I’ve started entering more complex queries and receiving comprehensive reports in place of just typing keywords into the old Google search box. AI Mode produced almost 600 words from a single three-sentence prompt. There were only nine links to sources, and since the chatbot had already summed up the information, I didn’t need to click on any of them. I only discovered, after some research, that one of the primary sources for this summary was a beginner’s guide to birdwatching authored by Allie Volpe, a colleague at Vox.
Similar to other AI chatbots, this search experience isn’t always fantastic. Large language models that power the technology are prone to hallucinations, which makes these new search tools generally unreliable. However, since AI often produces such compelling copy, you are not always required to verify the outcomes. As more people turn to AI chatbots for information instead of the internet, publishers are witnessing sharp drops in Google traffic. My research on birding taught me that it’s faster. Not everything you find by clicking on a blue link is 100% accurate, let’s face it.
This is most likely how search will develop in the future, and no, a list of blue links is not likely to be a part of it.
It’s likely that this is how search will develop in the future, and no, a list of blue links won’t be a part of it. Even though the classic search experience will still be available for a while, the sheer number of Google’s recent announcements indicates that artificial intelligence is the direction we’re going. The news’s headlines conveyed the seriousness of the situation. At Google’s developer conference, Casey Newton of Platformer reported that “everything is changing and normal and scary and chill.”. Because of Google, tech analyst Ben Thompson proclaimed “the death of the ad-supported web.”. More bluntly, John Herrman of New York magazine stated: “Google is burying the web alive.”. “”.
Google gained popularity during the chaotic early days of the internet by making it easier to find things online, as Geoffrey A. Smith of the Washington Post notes. Fowler notes. There is much less certainty about its dominance in this new AI-powered future. Perhaps a different startup will emerge and make things easier this time, allowing you to have an easy-to-use bot make movies, arrange travel, and explain things to you.
While waiting for this to feel glorious, I’ll be working on refining my AI-generated Chihuahua cartoon that fights crime.
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