From search engines to “chat” engines: AI enters the scene
Not long ago, searching the web meant typing keywords and sifting through lists of links. That began to change in late 2022 when OpenAI’s ChatGPT arrived, showing that AI could deliver answers conversationally. By early 2023, major search engines started weaving this technology into their platforms.
Microsoft launched first in February 2023 with an AI-enhanced Bing that lets users ask questions to a built-in chatbot (powered by OpenAI’s GPT-4) and get natural-language answers. Google quickly responded with its Search Generative Experience (SGE) in May 2023, using generative AI to summarize results and answer queries directly. Search engines began transforming from “search what’s out there” to “answer my question” services.
Other players jumped in too—Perplexity AI, NeevaAI, and even DuckDuckGo’s DuckAssist appeared. By late 2023, “chatting” with an engine for answers had firmly entered mainstream web search.
How AI is already affecting our searching habits
What happens when people get answers directly from an AI, instead of clicking through a bunch of search results? There are some clear upsides for users, as well as some potential downsides.
Perhaps the biggest draw of AI-based search is speed and convenience. Instead of opening several links and skimming, users get concise answers right away. In a recent survey, 42% of users said the top benefit is getting faster answers to complex questions. The AI synthesizes information from multiple sources and presents key points—saving you from comparing ten browser tabs.
Getting one synthesized answer means you might miss the diversity of perspectives in traditional search results. With Google, you can scan results from Wikipedia, news sites, blogs, and official pages, each with its own take. An AI chatbot might blend bits from all sources, but you don’t always see which source said what.
This worries site owners: one study found news sites and blogs receive 96% less referral traffic from AI search results compared to traditional Google searches. Users may get answers faster but explore fewer viewpoints.
Relying on AI answers changes how people judge trustworthiness. When you click a search result, you can consider the source’s reputation. With AI responses, sources may be opaque or mashed together. Some AI-enhanced engines provide citations, but standalone chatbots typically present answers without immediate references.
This can lead to trusting answers by default, even when AI might be incorrect. AI chatbots have been known to “hallucinate” false information convincingly. In one survey, 75% of consumers expressed concerns about misinformation from AI-generated answers. Many now use AI for quick info but double-check important facts via traditional search.
AI search vs. traditional search
Is asking a chatbot really better than typing into Google? It depends. Each approach has distinct strengths.
- Natural, conversational interaction. You can ask follow-up questions in plain English. The AI remembers context, making searching feel like dialogue rather than formulating perfect keyword strings (about 39% praise the direct, human-like responses as a key benefit).
- Synthesized answers from multiple sources. AI pulls together information across the web for consolidated answers—great for complex research topics. For example, Bing’s AI might answer “planning a 5-day trip to Mexico City” by outlining an itinerary with highlights from several travel blogs.
- Explaining “why” and “how.” Traditional search results often just point you to where answers might be. AI tools, by contrast, can explain reasoning, provide context, or break down a complicated answer step by step. Many users appreciate these detailed explanations and context (36% in one survey) and more personalized, tailored responses (35%) that AI can provide. It can feel like a tutor or expert guiding you, rather than a directory of websites.
Productivity and creativity. Beyond factual queries, AI assistants help generate ideas, draft emails, write code, and more—tasks where interactive AI is far more useful than search result lists.
- Transparency and source control. You see the sources and decide which to trust. For authoritative information—government sites for policies, reputable news outlets—search engines make it easy to go directly to trusted sources and compare multiple perspectives.
- Fresh, up-to-date information. Search engines constantly crawl the live web, excelling at finding latest information—breaking news, recent announcements, updated pages. AI chatbots with fixed training data might be outdated, and even web-connected ones can lag behind real-time events like live sports scores or evolving news stories.
- Accuracy (with user diligence). While search engines can lead to misinformation if you click wrong results, they don’t generate new content—they point to existing human-written material. For precise quotes, official statistics, or exact wording, seeing source material is often safer than AI’s rephrasing, which could be error-prone.
- Breadth of results. Search engines return diverse content: videos, images, scholarly papers, forums, news, shopping listings. This breadth helps when exploring topics or seeking the best resource. AI tools typically give straightforward answers but might not show that diverse content mix.
In short, AI search shines for convenience, complex questioning, and conversational help, while traditional search remains a powerhouse for comprehensive discovery, reliability, and seeing the full landscape of information. It’s less about one being universally better, and more about choosing the right tool for the task and your preferences.
AI is great as a supplement, but not quite a replacement
The smartest approach is viewing AI search tools as supplements to traditional search, not total replacements. AI is changing web search behavior by making tasks faster and more intuitive—we get quick answers, have information digested for us, and interact with results conversationally. This dramatically improves the search experience, especially for complicated questions requiring information synthesis.
However, classic search engines aren’t obsolete. When we need diverse sources, latest updates, or detail verification, traditional search remains invaluable. Even companies building AI features agree—Microsoft pitches Bing’s chatbot as a “copilot,” not a standalone oracle. Google embeds AI into search results while still letting users click through to source material.
For users, the practical approach is enjoying both worlds. Use AI tools to save time and get explanations, but keep using traditional search to explore and verify. For example, ask ChatGPT for a “2008 financial crisis causes” summary to get a quick overview, then do a Google search for specific articles to dive deeper. Or use an AI helper for tech troubleshooting, but still visit the actual forum posts it references for full details.
Artificial intelligence is making web search more convenient and conversational without completely upending old habits—it’s adding a new dimension. As we adapt, it’s wise to remain curious but cautious, leveraging AI’s strengths while relying on our judgment and traditional web resources.
The bottom line: AI-driven search is a powerful new tool in our toolbox, best used alongside trusty search engines, not instead of them.
