Google search has added an AI feature. Critics worry it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.
But Google says it's increased search usage.
If you’ve searched for something on Google recently, you might have noticed a new AI-powered summary that answers your question in a couple sentences. You don’t even have to click a link.
The new feature has some AI analysts worrying about a slippery slope of adverse effects for businesses, advertisers and consumers.
It works like this: If I want a white bean chili recipe, instead of scrolling through ad-filled sites, the AI just generates a recipe in seconds.
“I think it’s good for the consumer, certainly,” said Tom Davenport, an author and Babson College professor who focuses on artificial intelligence.
The new feature will “make it, I think, much easier to learn what you intend to learn,” he said.
But easier isn’t always better, noted UC San Diego data science professor Stuart Geiger. It can mean consumers don’t have to think critically about the information they’re receiving.
“You’re not engaging with the original source or where that came from. You’re not seeing comments, you’re not even seeing who the author is,” Geiger said. “And I think those things are really critical for digital media literacy.”
Then, there’s the fact that AI has a habit of “hallucinating.” “It’s a people-pleaser,” Geiger said. “It’ll generate the content you asked for whether or not it’s true.”
It could also be bad news for advertisers and advertising platforms, said Chirag Shah, who teaches at the University of Washington’s Information School.
Fewer eyeballs on ads creates less revenue for websites. “So that whole ecosystem that’s built around Google collapses, starts to collapse.”
And as it collapses Shah said that fewer companies are likely to put information on the internet that Google could use for free.
“Now I have something new, interesting to share, but I don’t want to put it out because Google is gonna pick this up,” he said.
A Google spokesperson said that the new AI feature has actually increased search usage and satisfaction — and that it will keep sending traffic to the web.