There was a time when “Google” was the synonym for searching something online. But today, instead of googling, people simply “do a ChatGPT.” And yes, it gives results that are better, more precise, and easier to understand.
Believe it or not, this transformation in the technological landscape has not taken a decade. It has happened in just months. The result—search engines are slowly moving towards obsolescence. Google, a multi-billion dollar company, who would have ever thought could face such a threat? But yes, the change is real. These search engines are being replaced by AI-driven chatbots.
Now you would be wondering How? Traditional search engines like Google were built on an advertising model that relied on sponsored links, SEO rankings, and referral traffic to websites. But what’s the need for Search engine optimization when users no longer scroll through ten sites in a row? What’s the point of traffic being referred to different websites, when ChatGPT provides the entire summary- getting all their work done?
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When users receive complete answers instantly from AI systems like ChatGPT, they have little incentive to click through to the original websites. This trend threatens to destabilize the digital ad economy, which has for years funded media houses, independent bloggers, forums, and creators. It raises a crucial question: if AI platforms are ultimate gatekeepers of all the information, who will finance the business of producing original content?
The shift is so fast that new devices, including Apple’s MacBook and HP’s Omnibook, now offer in-built AI companions. You can search directly from the device application without even opening a browser.
This has led to emergence of “AI silos”. Unlike the open web, where people could freely search across millions of websites, technology companies are now building their own AI ecosystems that keep users locked within their platforms. For instance, “Apple Intelligence” is embedded across its devices and Gemini is integrated in Android devices. These vertical ecosystems ensure that users stay inside one company’s digital universe, reducing the relevance of the open web as a free and open space for discovery.
The disruption is not just technological; it is legal and cultural as well. In a landmark case, Asian News International (ANI) has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, accusing it of copyright infringement. This is the first such case in India and reflects the growing anxiety over how artificial intelligence impacts creative industries. From writers to animators to storytellers—all are grappling with the existential threat posed by AI.
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AI is no longer just a tool that assists human creativity. Google’s own embrace of AI through its Overview feature shows that the company understands this shift. AI technology has positioned itself as the next king of the digital world, powerful enough to replace the old ways of searching and creating. In such a landscape, digital companies can no longer rely only on Search Engine Optimization (SEO). What they need is AI Engine Optimization (AEO), companies have strategies that ensure their website’s content is picked up, summarized, and cited by AI systems.
The challenge for society is to ensure that this transformation across the technological landscape enhances knowledge and creativity rather than undermining the very industries that make knowledge possible.
(The author is Editor, TheRise.co.in, and graduate of The Print School of Journalism. The author can be reached at – sneha20j@gmail.com)