GoogleNew search summaries powered by artificial intelligence (AI) could significantly impact online publishers by driving users away from their websites and towards the tech giant’s own results, potentially reshaping the online landscape and raising concerns among content creators who rely on website traffic for advertising. income
The feature, expected to reach more than a billion people by the end of the year, generates topic summaries that can reduce the need for users to click through to other websites. Industry experts also point to the growing threat of competition from startups such as AI OpenAIthat could challenge Google’s dominance in search and reshape the landscape of online commerce.
“For a long time, website owners and SEO specialists have written articles about gaming search algorithms.” Clean out the Closetsfounder of abouta search engine optimization (SEO) tool that uses AI, he told PYMNTS.
“You can search for a recipe on Google, but the first results will include 2,000 words about the history of the food or what the chef was thinking when he thought of cooking this food. That’s a lot of unnecessary information when all you want is a simple recipe,” he said. Omar said. “We’ve seen similar in the product review market, a lot of text without direct experience with the product in order to rank high. With AI, you can immediately get the answer you’re looking for without additional jargon.”
Google’s AI search continues
Google AI will generate search summaries for complex queries or when users are brainstorming or planning. The search engine will prioritize traditional website links and ads for simple searches like finding local businesses or checking the weather.
The company plans to integrate wizard-like planning capabilities directly into search, allowing users to request tasks like creating a 3-day meal plan and receiving a variety of recipes from the web.
Google also announced progress toward “multimodality,” test features where users can ask questions via video. For example, users could film a malfunctioning product, upload the video, and have the search engine diagnose the problem, as demonstrated by a broken record player.
Mobile search space may also be available. Bloomberg reported on Friday (May 10) that apple is finalizing a deal to integrate OpenAI’s ChatGPT into iOS 18 and is also discussing licensing of Google’s Gemini chatbot.
AI-powered search could be bad news for many websites that rely on clicks. According to research firm Gartner, the volume of traditional search engine will decrease 25% by 2026, with AI chatbots and other virtual agents capturing a significant share of search marketing share.
“Organic and paid search are vital channels for technology marketers looking to achieve awareness and demand generation goals.” Alan Antinanalyst vice president of Gartner, said in a news release. “Generative AI (GenAI) solutions are becoming surrogate answer engines, replacing user queries that could previously be run on traditional search engines. This will force companies to rethink their marketing channel strategy in as GenAI becomes more integrated into all aspects of the enterprise.”
AI search options
When discussing the most effective AI tools for Internet searches, Omare singled out Gemini and ChatGPT as particularly useful for locating specific information. However, he stressed that for AI competitors to truly challenge Google, they will need to change users’ default search behavior.
“Four billion people use Google, which still holds the highest share of the search engine market,” Omare said.
AI companies could partner with popular web browsers to become top search engines. They could also target specific markets, such as research-intensive companies, Omare said. He also discussed the impact of AI searches on online commerce, stating: “AI models must improve to provide accurate links to products or services for direct purchase or lead generation” .
Mark McCollumthe innovation director of Raptivetold PYMNTS that he has deep concerns about the implications of generative search for content creators.
“Our initial analysis suggests that SGE could significantly reduce traffic to content creators’ websites, directly impacting their advertising revenue and, by extension, their livelihoods,” McCollum said, estimating that “the impact total revenue for creators would be $2 billion within $2 billion a year.”
McCollum also questioned the use of intellectual property by content creators.
“The current model does not adequately compensate creators for the use of their work, nor does it align with the principles of fair use,” he said.
He emphasized that this is a matter of survival for many independent creators.
“Content creators are the backbone of a diverse and vibrant digital ecosystem, and their work deserves recognition and compensation,” McCollum said.
Not everyone is gloomy about the prospects for AI search. Michael Hassea cybersecurity and technology consultant, told PYMNTS that AI-based search can be helpful and hinder consumers looking for specific products like jackets.
“With traditional search functionality, the first pages of results will be dominated by companies that have perfected their SEO or paid for preferred placement,” Hasse said. This often leads consumers to settle for products that are only “good enough”.
However, AI-powered search can find “the boutique product that’s ‘perfect’ but was twenty pages deep and hadn’t been seen before.” Hasse noted that “AI has done the hard work of sifting through a far greater number of results than any human could have the time or energy to find the perfect item.”
On the other hand, Hasse warned of the “dark side” of AI-based search, where “entrepreneurial SEO experts will use AI to generate millions of ‘products’ to fulfill every possible combination of features and functionality with the hope to capture the AI-based market.” This could lead to a new challenge of determining which products are real in a vast sea of ”vaporware”.
The impact of AI-powered search could already be noticeable.
Shawn Dalymarketing professor a Niagara Universitytold PYMNTS that “AI is already killing Google search clients… With ChatGPT fully integrated into Microsoft Copilot search, Bing has gained about 0.5% per month in recent months” .
He further predicted, “Anthropic’s Claude product and other major AI players will find partners to challenge Google’s dominance.”
Daly addressed the impact of AI searches on online commerce, stating, “Uncertainty is the main contribution of AI to e-commerce.”
He explained that unlike the stable and relatively easy-to-understand rules of Google SEO and PPC rates, “digital marketers will have a harder time navigating a multipolar future without a big monopolist and the box-office AI model black to classify and insert. Advertising is likely not so easy to organize and manipulate.”
Google’s integration of artificial intelligence into its search tools and workspace has sparked excitement and concern among early beta testers and industry watchers. Katie Wilsonfounder of Serious Moonlight Consultinghas been testing AI-powered features and told PYMNTS that it appreciates the solid research and answers that AI-enhanced search results provide.
He also expressed concern about the potential impact on publishers and content creators.
“A lot of people are wondering if this is the end of link-based search and how user behavior will evolve,” Wilson said. “Also how this will affect those who make a living off the traffic that comes to their sites for ad revenue.”
As Google continues to roll out its AI-powered features, questions arise about the future of user behavior and click-through rates.
“If something is summed up at first glance, why click on a site?” Wilson asked. He said these issues will be addressed in the next few hours Google Marketing Live event, where ads and AI-integrated tools are expected to be announced.
What’s ahead for search
So what does all this mean for the future of the Internet? It’s hard to say for sure. Google is in a tricky position here. On the one hand, they want to give users the best possible experience by providing quick and accurate answers to their questions. But on the other hand, they can’t just eliminate all the publishers and advertisers who create the content that makes the Internet what it is.
Google will have to balance several factors. They will need to find ways to use AI to improve and speed up search while ensuring that users have a reason to click on websites and interact with the content there. Publishers and advertisers will also be watching closely because their livelihoods depend on people visiting their sites.
Ultimately, the impact of Google’s AI push remains a big question mark. Will it change the way we use the Internet or will it be a gradual change? Will publishers and advertisers find new ways to adapt, or will some be left behind? We’ll be watching them closely over the coming months and years as Google continues to roll out these AI features.
One thing is for sure: the Internet never stays the same for long, and Google has always been at the forefront of these changes. It will be interesting to see where they take us next.
See more at: advertising revenue, advertising, AI, Apple, artificial intelligence, content creators, GenAI, generative AI, Google, News, OpenAI, PYMNTS News, search engine, search engine optimization, SEO
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