by What is happening
Over the past few decades, Google’s search engine has arguably been the single most important force in dictating the look of the modern internet, to the point where the company’s name has become the literal dictionary definition of finding something on the web.
The Big Tech giant recently began to make a significant change to how its searches work in a move that could have huge implications not only for Google itself, but for the entire online ecosystem.
Starting earlier this month, answers generated by artificial intelligence began to appear above the usual list of blue links to certain search queries. These answers, called AI Overviews, use Google’s Gemini AI model to compile information from across the web to provide a concise answer with zero scrolling or extra clicks.
Like other AI models, Gemini has access to a huge cache of online information that it uses to generate its responses, in the company’s words, “Let Google do the searching for you.” So when you enter something like “exercise for knee pain,” Gemini pulls from its vast amount of data on the topic to provide a list of stretches and strength training moves and prompts you to click next. to any individual websites.
There is nothing unique about Google adding AI to search. Almost every major tech company, including Yahoo, has been integrating AI into more and more online experiences in recent months. But changes to Google search are even more important because of how important it is to how we use the internet. More than 90% of global search traffic – 8.5 billion searches per day – occurs on Google. A large share of the internet economy is also based on eye-catching and what happens through a Google search.
Why is there a debate?
Since its launch in the US, most of the conversation about AI Overviews has been about the poor results it has been producing. Among other things, a Google search suggested adding glue to pizza sauce, eating rocks for digestive health and claimed that astronauts had found cats on the moon. This phenomenon, called hallucination, is what all AI models struggle with. But many technology experts are worried about the implications of suddenly having the world’s most important information engine with unreliable – or even potentially dangerous – lies.
AI optimists say Overview, although imperfect, is still a future where people can access the information they need more efficiently and effectively than ever before. They argue that the problems with bad information are only a short-term problem and will become more accurate over time as Google finds and fixes its shortcomings, which the company is reportedly working hard to do at the moment.
Some of the biggest concerns about Overview, however, have nothing to do with its accuracy. Some experts worry that with AI summaries at the top of their search, users will stop clicking on the links that appear as well, which would mean fewer eyes – and ultimately, less revenue – for any site that depends on traffic search to support his business. . They fear that Overview could eventually drive online publishers — everything from news services to entertainment blogs to recipe blogs — out of business, leaving no one behind with the information the AI needs to create its answers.
What lies ahead
Preview is currently available in the United States, but Google says it expects to open up to at least 1 billion of its global users by the end of the year.
The company has also previewed new AI-powered features it says it plans to add to search in the near future, including schedule planning, the ability to answer highly specific questions and the power search with video instead of words.
Perspectives
The internet economy is at risk
“If an AI response engine does its job well enough, users won’t have to click on any links at all. Whatever they are looking for will be sitting right there, on top of their search results. And the big deal on which Google’s relationship with the open web rests — you give us articles, we give you traffic — could fall apart.” — Kevin Roose, New York Times
The average person will probably learn to love AI Overview
“I suspect that billions of people will be happy to find their answers to complex questions directly on the search results page, regardless of where the information comes from, as long as it’s accurate enough.” — Casey Newton, Terrace
Google doesn’t care to inform its users anymore
“Providing a robust, almost essential, web search service is no longer a priority, not as it has been for many years. Instead, Google wants you to browse with new buggy gizmos whose basic functions are missing everything that made Google an empire, a word, a trusted guardian of the information highway.” — Nitish Pahwa, Slate
AI is helping to return Google search to its original purpose
“Generative AI… is in some ways returning to what Google Search was before the company messed with product marketing and clippings and sidebars and Wikipedia excerpts – all of which arguably contributed to its degradation the product. The AI-powered searches that Google executives described didn’t seem to go to oracle as well as a more user-friendly version of Google: pulling together the relevant tabs, directing you to the most useful links, and maybe even encourage you to click on them.” — Matteo Wong, The Atlantic
AI may end up killing all the content it wants
“By being even less inviting for people to contribute to the web’s knowledge pool, Google’s summary answers could leave its own AI tools and everyone else with less accurate, timely and interesting information. ” — Scott Rosenberg, Axios
Google is rolling out AI to a lot of people who aren’t ready for it
“This feature will likely expose billions of people, who have never used a chatbot before, to AI-generated text. While AI Overviews are designed to save you time, they may lead to less reliable results.” — Reece Rogers, Wired
People cannot trust information if it is taken out of its original context
“You’re not dealing with the original source or where it came from. You are not seeing comments, you are not even seeing who the author is. And I think those things are really important for digital media literacy.” — Stuart Geiger, UC San Diego data science professor, to Marketplace
No matter how much Big Tech pushes AI, human-made content will eventually win
“Users will quickly learn to recognize AI-generated content, and find it less interesting and engaging compared to human-generated content. Just like a great novelist, journalists have a voice and style that people find interesting, and this will become even more apparent as AI content sets a less interesting baseline.” — Rob Meadows, chief technology officer at OpenWeb, to CNET
