I will say this about Google’s AI thing: it really is useful to search for products with really precise criteria.
Like for example “Look for product xyz for sale in city xyz, sold in order of preference: 1/ by a local brick-and-mortar, 2/ by a brick-and-mortar that sells online in that city’s country, 3/ by an online retailer in Europe - exclude Amazon, eBay, Aliexpress and all the major marketplaces - exclude US businesses”: it WILL find what you want where you want and give the middle finger to Google’s advertisement, suggestions and plugs, 100%.
That’s a more useful, better search than Google Search ever was, and it certainly feels like Google shooting itself in the foot. Because I really don’t know how Google’s customers - i.e. advertisers - benefit from Google’s AI responses in any way. At least when you search for something to buy.
Search dies because of advertising. Google literally promoted their head of Advertising to be their new head of Search, which is why it’s shit now.
One of their decisions which included making search results worse so people spend longer searching on google so they can be served more ads.
So capitalism?
Here’s a good article on it for anyone interested: https://www.wheresyoured.at/the-men-who-killed-google/ (article starts after the horizontal break)
I will say this about Google’s AI thing: it really is useful to search for products with really precise criteria.
Like for example “Look for product xyz for sale in city xyz, sold in order of preference: 1/ by a local brick-and-mortar, 2/ by a brick-and-mortar that sells online in that city’s country, 3/ by an online retailer in Europe - exclude Amazon, eBay, Aliexpress and all the major marketplaces - exclude US businesses”: it WILL find what you want where you want and give the middle finger to Google’s advertisement, suggestions and plugs, 100%.
That’s a more useful, better search than Google Search ever was, and it certainly feels like Google shooting itself in the foot. Because I really don’t know how Google’s customers - i.e. advertisers - benefit from Google’s AI responses in any way. At least when you search for something to buy.
Don’t worry, that will be fixed soon.
Yeah probably…