As Google Search continues to incorporate AI-generated answers into search, the links will live on, Alphabet/Google CEO Sundar Pichai told Bloomberg in a new interview. Here’s what you need to know from Pichai’s interview.
Future of links. Unlike previous statements, where Pichai indicated that the search experience would evolve substantially in the next 10 years, in the Bloomberg interview he seemed to indicate that links to websites will continue to be an important part of Search results. Google:
“I think part of what sets Google Search apart is that while there are times when we give answers, it will always link to a wide variety of sources. We’ve had answers in Search for many, many years. Now we’re using generative AI to do it”. “I think [links will] always be an important part of Search.” “There will be times when they want quick answers. My son is celiac so we did a quick inquiry to see if there was anything gluten free. We just want to know. But it often leads to more and, you know, then you want to explore more. I think understanding that, meeting all the needs is part of what makes the Search unique.”
Google search gets worse. Pichai was also asked if search was getting worse and “more SEO spam.” Pichai didn’t answer it directly (typical Pichai no answer), but my interpretation is that Pichai acknowledged the problem without confirming it. Here’s what Pichai said, you can decide what it means:
“Every time there’s a transition, you get an explosion of new content, and the AI is going to do that. So for us, we see that as the challenge, and I actually think that, you know, there’s going to be people who are going to fight for do it, right? So doing it right is what will define a high-quality product, and I think it will be at the heart of what makes Search successful.”
He was later asked how concerned he was about AI-generated content ruining search. Your answer:
“The challenge for everyone and the opportunity is, how do you get a sense of what’s objective and real in a world where there’s going to be a lot of synthetic content? I think it’s part of what will define Search in the next decade, right? “People often come to Google right away to see if something they saw somewhere else is actually happening. It’s a common pattern we see. We’re making progress, but it’s going to be an ongoing journey, right?”
Google business model. Google made more than $192 billion from search ads alone by 2023. Pichai was also asked if ChatGPT’s model of giving AI-generated answers instead of links is “an assault on Google’s business model “.
“So we’ve always found that people want options, even in commercial areas, and that’s a fundamental need. And I think we’ve always been able to balance that. As we’re implementing AI or visualizations in Search, we’ve been experimenting with ads and the data we’re seeing shows that these core principles will hold true during this phase as well.”
Other featured quotes. Pichai was asked about the perception that Google is behind other companies in AI (even though Google became an early adopter in AI in 2016):
“I take a long-term perspective and say, when the Internet just came out, Google didn’t even exist then, right? So we weren’t the first company to do search, we weren’t the first to do email, we were the first to create a browser. So I see this AI as, you know, we’re in the early stages.”
Meanwhile, in what I consider a pretty shocking moment, Pichai, the leader of a company that while not perfect is doing and has done a lot of amazing things, couldn’t articulate a coherent reason when asked a simple question: why what we trust Google:
“Well, I share the idea that nobody, you shouldn’t be driving blind, you know? That’s why it’s important to have systems in place. Regulation has a role to play, you know, to test the balance of innovation. But as these AI systems become more capable, it shouldn’t just rely on a system of trusted people or trusted companies.”
What is the biggest threat to Google’s future, according to Pichai:
“…not working well.”
Pichai was also asked if we will look back on this “LLM era and laugh” because one day it will seem so basic and rudimentary:
“I hope we do because it shows … my kids are not impressed by touch screens or having this extraordinary amount of computing in their hands. Likewise … there’s no reason why we don’t expand our computing a hundred thousand times in a few years. So yeah, you know, I hope some of it looks like a toy in the future. I hope it does, if not, we haven’t done our job well.” .
Why we care The other day, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt said, “Google isn’t about blue links. It’s about organizing the world’s information,” which seemed to echo Pichai’s recent statement about Google’s evolution towards the generative search experience, where links to websites will eventually become less central to search. AI answers are the present and future of search; they won’t go away, especially if ChatGPT offers its rumored search product.
The interview Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and the future of AI | The Circuit
