The way we search the internet is changing. We are entering an era of conversational search, where we can ask real questions and receive answers in natural language, rather than typing keywords and navigating links. This shift is driven by the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLMs), which can analyze vast amounts of information and provide answers.
Google is at the forefront of this change, with its AI Overviews, which use LLMs to deliver answers to search queries. These overviews are a fundamental change to the way search engines deliver information and can address complex questions that were previously impossible to answer.
Other companies, such as OpenAI, Microsoft, and Meta, are also developing AI-powered search engines that can provide answers to search queries. Perplexity, a startup, is using LLMs to create entire articles based on news of the day, cobbled together from different sources.
Publishers are worried about the impact of AI on their business model, as they fear a "zero-click" future, where search referral traffic vanishes from the scene. They are also concerned about the quality of the answers provided by AI-powered search engines, which can sometimes hallucinate nonsense or provide different answers to the same question.
The future of search is no longer just about clicking links and navigating results, but about receiving answers in natural language. AI-powered search engines are becoming more efficient and effective, and they are changing the way we interact with the internet.
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Note to editor: This article provides an overview of the changes happening in the world of search, and the impact of AI on the way we interact with the internet. It highlights the concerns of publishers and the promises of a new era of conversational search.
