Tech companies are baking AI into everything these days. It seems like you can’t avoid a heaping helping of bots and large language models (LLMs). I think I ingested some in my breakfast cereal this morning.

Thus, it’s no surprise that search engines have become best pals with AI. Google and Bing are joyfully adding it to their results. These generated answers are the first thing you see for some queries.

Both companies have a stake in the technology. Google’s Gemini and Microsoft’s Copilot will be keys to their future success. We’ll continue to see these tools added to flagship products.

The early results have been interesting – and perhaps a bit unsettling. For example, AI has recommended that we put glue on pizza. It has also displayed plagiarized content above the original works.

It’s just a reminder that no technology is perfect. And AI is still in its infancy. But there’s more to it. The relationship between AI and search represents a fundamental shift. I’m not so sure I like it. Here’s a look at why.

The Shift to Becoming an Answer Engine

The way search engines work has evolved. In the early days, it was all about matching the keywords used in a query.

That’s why keyword-stuffing and other nefarious SEO techniques worked. Search engines were looking for exact (or fuzzy) matches of keywords. It led to less-than-ideal results. Spammers were great at gaming this system.

Modern search now considers context. It combines content and structured data to determine results. That’s why we can search for “pizza shops near me” and get local results.

As always, these services pick winners. The top results favor sites that match the search engine’s indexing criteria and algorithm. The algorithms are mysterious to us mortals – but fair enough.

So, how does the current use of AI impact this process? For one, it attempts to provide us with a definitive answer.

Let’s forget about accuracy for a moment. Displaying this information first lends confidence to the answer. If it’s first, it must be right – right? Maybe we can skip all the results down the page.

We are no longer encouraged to look for the result that fits our needs. We are instead fed an answer – potentially discouraging us from digging deeper.

The Cost of AI-generated Answers

Perhaps the convenience of an AI-generated answer is favorable. But it also comes with some costs.

Website owners could see a drop in traffic. They already had to contend with sponsors clogging up the top portion of the results page. AI answers are just one more thing to hamper their visibility.

The other elephant in the room is that AI scrapes content from all over the web. The benefits for site owners are questionable at best.

A site that feeds the top result could see some extra clicks. Newfangled services like Perplexity are even offering to pay publishers. However, you might have better odds of winning the lottery than securing this arrangement.

We should also dive back into AI’s potential to discourage further research. Some users may accept that first answer and not bother to think twice.

Maybe this doesn’t impact longtime users. I’m used to scrolling through search results and clicking multiple links. I don’t foresee AI changing my behavior.

But what about younger generations? AI will be just the way things work for them. They may not realize that there’s more information available. After all, Google has already given them the “best” answer.

Here’s where accuracy comes into the picture. There are times when search engines will get it wrong. That seems like an unavoidable situation.

Users who aren’t familiar with researching answers will be misinformed. That could be dangerous, depending on the subject.

Most people won’t put glue on their pizza. But this type of “advice” could be taken seriously by someone. And that has real consequences.

Is This the End of Search as We Knew It?

I believe the relationship between search and AI is a long-term one. Companies like Google and Microsoft aren’t spending truckloads of money for nothing. Well, sometimes they do. But I digress.

The current phase is an experimental one. Search providers are trying to figure out where AI fits in. And, oh yeah, they want to monetize it.

There’s been some backlash at the technology’s integration so far. That has led to adjustments. It’s a matter of finding what users will and won’t tolerate.

Regardless, searching the web is going to look quite different. Sponsored and AI-generated results will continue to push organic results down the page. Large websites will rank higher than small ones.

Search is a pay-to-play proposition these days. AI is only going to amplify this practice.

That changes how we search as consumers. We may need to scroll past a lot of nonsense to find what we came for.

It might also change our expectations as website owners. That free traffic we’ve optimized for may not be as plentiful. We’ll have to adjust accordingly.

What Will the Future Bring?

Search is another area where web designers and marketers will feel the impact of the move toward AI. The techniques that previously performed well for us may be obsolete.

SEO will still be a worthwhile endeavor, though. Getting your websites indexed shouldn’t go out of style anytime soon.

However, using SEO as a primary marketing strategy doesn’t seem sustainable. Unless your clients are large or in a unique niche, you may struggle to make headway without paid promotion.

Such is life on the web. We can never get too comfortable! Search engines are just another in a long line of seismic shifts.