The search engine landscape, which has been dominated by Google, is seeing new innovations. This is not only because some people believe that Google Search is not functioning as well as before, although the company assures that its results are still better than other search engines. It is because both Google and Microsoft are venturing into the use of artificial intelligence to improve search, despite the risks of hallucinations and disinformation. It seems that the battle has begun.
Recent research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill emphasizes that “for years, scientists in the fields of computer science, scientific information, and human-computer interaction have studied how users interact with search systems and sought ways to improve them. Integrating conversational AI components is a new development that can profoundly change the way users interact with search systems.”
While the combination of a chatbot and search engine in Bing, carried out by Microsoft, did not result in a significant increase in the market position of this search engine (as noted earlier), search companies are experimenting with the use of artificial intelligence to find answers that may be certain but not necessarily correct. They want to test whether such answers can break Google’s monopoly. However, it should be noted that antitrust interventions could change the dynamics of this market within one or two years.
Google is not sitting idle either. The Silicon Valley giant has just renamed its AI service Bard to Gemini and made the chatbot more accessible on mobile devices, but also more expensive through an optional premium subscription. Gemini does not replace the Google search engine, but introduces an alternative search method—question-based search instead of using keywords.
Thomas Chopping, a British economist and founder of the startup El Toco, specializing in search for scientists, commented on this matter for The Register. According to him, as long as there are websites, there will always be room for search engines, due to the economics of online publishing and the various purposes that conversational queries and search engines fulfill. Chopping said, “For decades, we have seen how Google has tried to make search more predictable by adding features such as autocomplete and, ultimately, instant answers. This has resulted in users spending more time on the Google site at the expense of visiting data sources.”
Chopping began working on El Toco in 2016, and the service was launched in 2023. He claims that ChatGPT, which distinguishes itself from Google by better understanding human inquiries, is a magical tool that comes close to what Google search was supposed to be. However, he also finds it scary because he has been contemplating his competitive idea for many years. Over the past year, he has been considering the use of chatbots in search.
According to him, conversational tools and traditional search engines serve different functions. “One of these tools aims to provide specific answers to questions, and the other helps users find web pages,” he said. Chopping also speculated about the future, noting that if conversational tools become so perfect that nobody visits web pages anymore, the entire business model based on search engines would be at risk. If the content made available on websites loses its significance and becomes difficult to attract users, chatbots would also lack a source of data. This would lead to the need to pay hosting companies for access to data, but it is still difficult to predict whether users would be willing to pay for instant answers to questions. The business model of chatbots, which would earn from using website data, would always be threatened by search engines that offer answers for free.
Chopping also noted that Google and Microsoft, in their haste to introduce conversational assistants, forget how people use the internet. “People do many things online that go beyond just asking questions, one of them is browsing. Often, when I’m bored at a train station or curious about a topic, I just want to browse. It is not possible to browse through conversational search tools that are focused on providing answers to questions. Currently, this benefits Meta and TikTok, as it is difficult to find high-quality websites through search engines, so people have lost interest in them.”
According to Chopping, El Toco is an internet search engine with filters. The searched pages are marked with various metadata, such as the genre and purpose of the page, making it easier to filter out less relevant results. The aim of El Toco is efficient and precise web page search. Chopping explains, “We do not need users’ personal data to provide accurate search results.”
In a time when artificial intelligence is penetrating various fields, the development of search tools is inevitable. We remain to observe how these technologies will shape the future and what application they will find in users’ daily internet usage.
FAQ section based on the main topics and information presented in the article:
1. Why are Google and Microsoft introducing artificial intelligence into search?
– Both Google and Microsoft are experimenting with the use of artificial intelligence to improve search and to test whether such answers may threaten Google’s dominance.
2. Did the combination of a chatbot and search engine bring significant market growth for Bing?
– Past research has shown that the combination of a chatbot and search engine in Bing did not result in a significant increase in the market position of this search engine.
3. What are the reasons why chatbots can pose a threat to the dominance of internet search engines?
– Conversational tools have the potential to replace traditional search engines if they become so perfect that users no longer visit web pages. This poses a threat to the business model based on search engines.
4. Is there a threat to the business model of chatbots based on using data from websites?
– Yes, there is a threat to the business model of chatbots that earn from using data from websites because internet search engines offer answers for free.
5. How does the startup El Toco differ from the Google search engine?
– El Toco is an internet search engine with filters that mark searched pages with metadata, making it easier to filter out less relevant results. It does not require users’ personal data.
6. What other fields are benefiting from the development of artificial intelligence?
– Artificial intelligence is developing in various fields such as medicine, science, industry, technology, and many others.
Definitions for key terms and jargon used in the article:
1. Artificial intelligence (AI) – a field of computer science that focuses on creating intelligent machines capable of performing tasks that typically require human thinking.
2. Chatbot – a computer program that simulates conversation with human users, often based on the questions asked, in order to provide answers or perform specific tasks.
3. Search engine – an internet tool that searches and indexes web pages, allowing users to find information.
The source of the article is from the blog qhubo.com.ni