AI is surpassing traditional search engines in providing accurate and tailored answers to users’ queries. Research shows that AI makes users more productive and satisfies them more than search engines. It also helps bridge the education gap in users’ search experience. While both AI and search engines provide correct answers, AI offers more valuable and comprehensive information. AI saves users time and effort in information synthesis and provides individualized articles. However, AI still faces challenges such as the articulation barrier and potential future issues with advertisements.
| Signal | Change | 10y horizon | Driving force |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI surpassing traditional search engines | From reliance on search engines to AI for answering queries | More users turning to AI for better and faster answers | Better productivity and user satisfaction with AI over search engines |
| AI synthesizes clear answers from available information | From search engines providing ranked information sources to AI providing tailored answers | AI provides tailored, clear answers with supplementary information and analysis | Improved user experience and efficiency in accessing information |
| Users prefer AI over search engines | From user preference for search engines to user preference for AI | Increased user satisfaction with AI, narrowing skill gaps | AI’s ability to provide better answers and tailored information |
| AI narrows the skill gap between users with high vs. low education | From skill gap favoring highly-educated users to reduced skill gap with AI | Less disparity in performance between highly-educated and less-educated users | AI’s ability to provide comprehensive answers and supplementary information |
| AI chatbots outperform search engines in productivity and satisfaction | From search engines as primary productivity tool to AI chatbots as more productive option | Increased productivity and user satisfaction with AI chatbots | AI chatbots delivering better answers and faster performance |
| AI provides individualized articles for each user | From generic search results to personalized articles from AI | AI writes custom articles tailored to individual users’ queries and circumstances | Improved user experience and relevance of information |
| AI tools are less polluted with ads compared to search engines | From search engines with overwhelming ads to AI tools with minimal ads | AI tools provide ad-free experiences for users | Providing better user experiences and focus on serving user needs |
| Keyword foraging vs. the articulation barrier | From reliance on proper keywords in search to writing detailed problem descriptions for AI | AI is less demanding of precise keywords, while search requires vocabulary knowledge | Improved usability for users with limited vocabulary and ability to describe problems |
| Websites can expect a decline in SEO-driven traffic in the next few years | From reliance on SEO for website traffic to AI-driven traffic | Websites need to prepare for decreased SEO-driven traffic | AI tools replacing search engines as primary sources of information |
| Potential future: AI tools may become polluted with ads | From ad-free AI tools to AI tools with ads | AI tools may become polluted with advertisements similar to search engines | Potential monetization motivation for AI providers |