The second part of the article delves into the specific AI features and strategies of various search and browser businesses, including Microsoft Bing, Brave, Opera, and Kagi. It discusses how these companies are using AI to enhance search results, generate summaries, and answer complex queries, while also grappling with issues of cost, timeliness, and information quality. The article concludes by emphasizing the importance of source information and the need to improve the quality of information used to build AI models and search indexes.
Key takeaways:
- AI is changing the search business, but it's also raising economic and ethical considerations. For instance, AI-powered search services could potentially harm publishers' ad revenues and commoditize their work without consent.
- Despite the hype, AI has not yet significantly disrupted the dominance of Google Search. However, smaller rivals are betting on AI to differentiate their products and attract investors.
- While AI can enhance search capabilities, it's not a replacement. In certain contexts, such as medicine and academia, the source and credibility of information are crucial, and AI's shortcomings in these areas can't be easily overlooked.
- There's a growing interest in alternatives to traditional search due to the increasing difficulty of maintaining search relevance in an environment polluted with disinformation. AI can help, but improving the quality of information used to build AI models and search indexes is essential.