Since many years ago, the Google search process has mostly stayed unchanged. In addition to being a brand staple alongside the multicoloured Google logo, the engine’s list of blue links also served as a model for the creation of rival search engines like Bing and DuckDuckGo. However, they might not be the centre of attention for much longer: Google intends to update the way its search results are presented by integrating videos, an AI chatbot, and other features, according to company papers.
The modifications are a part of a bigger attempt to adjust to the demands of younger users. Internal records and other sources, according to a Saturday Wall Street Journal story, point to a significant departure from what are sometimes referred to as “the 10 blue links.” These links will still be available, but the results will emphasise conversational AI software, known as “Magi,” and interactive video materials.
Over the past several years, the business strategies of apps like ChatGPT, TikTok, and others have clearly had an impact on the rest of the internet, leading services like Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat, and Reddit to include chatbots or swipeable short videos. The 2022-founded AI chatbot search engine Perplexity now has 2.8 million active monthly users. Google executives find it practically hard to resist adjusting to internet consumers’ growing expectations, as AI and video content are becoming nearly omnipresent across popular locations.
However, the change goes beyond formatting. The search engine will be better equipped to help consumers with ambiguous or exploratory issues, including locating highly regarded nearby restaurants or giving personal counsel. In one paper WSJ examined, officials stated, “More than answers, we’ll help you when there is no right answer.”
This acceptance of subjectivity, together with the decision to use AI and video material, may result in a more difficult uphill struggle against false information. It’s alarmingly easy for chatbots like ChatGPT and Bing Chat to provide false information as fact. It can be challenging to distinguish between fact and fiction without citations, which most chatbot results lack. This is especially true given the little time people spend on a search engine’s results page. Google’s change may foster inaccuracy when combined with the widespread false information on TikTok.
It would seem that Google is aware of these dangers. Google “needs to refine [its] definition of ‘trusted’ content, especially when there is no single right answer,” according to one internal memo. In order to “enable confidence” in its outcomes, the corporation would also “give attribution and literacy tools” to consumers.
Delivering high-quality content and promoting an open, healthy web will continue to be fundamental components of our strategy, a Google official told WSJ.
