Is AI reshaping the internet so drastically that the version we knew may soon no longer exist? Google’s AI Mode:
Google AI Mode, a new feature from Google, has the potential to revolutionize the way people think.
Over the past year, if you’ve been using Google Search, you may have noticed a new box called AI Overviews that appears at the top of your results.
You don’t even need to click on any links because it provides you with an immediate response to your question that summarizes the most pertinent details.
Now, Google is taking innovation to an entirely new level.
Google AI Mode: What Is It?
Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google, calls AI Mode “a complete reimagining of Search.”
AI Mode enables a chatbot to produce a mini-article, which is an AI-generated synopsis that provides a far more thorough explanation of the response to your question, as opposed to merely displaying a few phrases.
Therefore, if you search for something like “places to visit in Delhi in July,” Google’s AI might just provide a comprehensive guide at the top of the page, created in real time by artificial intelligence, rather than having you go through travel blogs or tourism websites.
There won’t be any clicking required on your part. It’s similar to asking a very intelligent buddy for assistance and receiving a thorough written explanation right away.
Why Everything Could Change Because of This
This may seem like a helpful shortcut, and it is for users. However, it might be disastrous for millions of websites, publishers, bloggers, and creators.
This is the reason:
Until recently, the majority of websites were mostly dependent on organic search traffic, or visitors who came to their page after clicking on a Google link.
However, visitors will no longer need to visit those websites if Google provides the answer directly.
As a result, there will be fewer clicks, less traffic, and eventually less money for the original content creators.
Digital content editor Barbara Friedman states it simply:
“Publishers are very concerned about this.”
📉 A Hit to the Internet?
Consider all the sectors and people who depend on Google traffic:
Websites for news
Self-employed bloggers
Reviewers of products
Writers of travel
Producers of instructional content
Developers of recipes
Online guides for small enterprises
Their revenue from adverts, affiliates, or subscriptions may drastically decline if consumers quit visiting their pages because Google’s AI is summarizing everything up front.
It is a basic chain:
Without traffic, there would be no income and no motivation to produce new material.
Can Human Knowledge Be Replaced by AI?
An further issue is accuracy.
AI is still susceptible to what specialists refer to as hallucinations, which means that it may produce information that appears certain and accurate but is in fact inaccurate or deceptive.
Even worse, one expert cautions:
“We shouldn’t depend too much on AI.”
What will happen, then, if millions of people begin to believe these AI-generated responses without checking the sources?
What if an AI makes a mistake about safety, finances, or health?
That is a serious issue.
Google’s Promise: An Improved Internet
Google maintains that this adjustment would enhance the internet in spite of the criticism.
The business claims that AI Mode is intended to assist users in finding information more quickly and efficiently. It asserts that it is increasing the usefulness and accessibility of the web by saving people time and effort.
AI Mode trials have commenced in the US and are currently being launched throughout India..
💰 Who Comes Out on Top?
The true winners in this new era of AI-powered search are probably going to be:
The AI is controlled by tech titans.
Big sites that can afford to pay Google or collaborate with it
Advertisers that appear prominently in AI-generated responses
However, the losers?
Perhaps everyone else:
independent websites
Reporters
Content producers
Small companies
The open web as it exists now
What Is in Store for the Future?
What does this leave us with, then?
AI will undoubtedly have a significant impact on how the internet develops in the future. Furthermore, Google’s AI Mode may only be the start.
However, this change raises important questions:
How do we safeguard the authors who contribute to the value of the internet?
How can we ensure that AI doesn’t take the place of human expertise and judgment?
And how can we guarantee that the internet stays open, free, and diverse?
We are currently on the cusp of a revolution that has the potential to completely alter the way we browse, study, and interact with the internet.
Particularly in the realm of technology, change is unavoidable.
However, even while we applaud innovation, we must consider its cost.
👉 Google’s AI Mode offers a smarter, faster, and more effortless way to interact with information..
However, it might also usher in a time where fewer individuals create, click, and have their opinions heard.
Is the internet we’re familiar with nearing its final chapter? Only time holds the answer.
