A suggestion that AI mode would soon be the default from someone from Google was “clarified” to say that they’re making it easier to use.
The slow death march of the open internet is continuing thanks to Google’s push towards replacing search results with hallucinating AI. The gradual shift started last year with Google deploying AI Overview. This was followed up with discussion that Google is moving to AI only search. Independent websites got slammed with this as they saw their traffic take a massive hit. Cloudflare confirmed these findings in their study, saying that Google is heading towards a “zero click” internet as they dissuade users from accessing third party results. While bigger names were slow to react, it did finally spark an anti-trust complaint in Europe. So, that’s something at least.
Google, of course, denied that they were having this impact on the open internet. They argued that despite the growing body of evidence, they would admit through court documents that the internet is in rapid decline – a claim they tried to later walk back on in the media.
The thing is, Google has started moving ahead with what they call “AI Mode“. It’s currently in the trial phases, but there is now a prominent tab in Google search, practically begging users to click on their AI Mode. Of course, AI Mode is the nightmare worst case scenario playing out for independent websites. The closer Google moves to this, the harder it is for independent publishers to get any kind of visibility at all. This while their content is being used to feed the AI machine.
A major Google employee recently suggested that AI Mode could soon be the default search mode for users “soon”, but those comments were later walked back as they “clarified” that they are just making it easier for users to start using AI Mode. From Bleeping Computers:
Right now, AI mode is optional. It’s placed on the left of the “All” tab, so you can accidentally open Google AI search and slowly prefer it over the traditional search.
In a post on X, Logan Kilpatrick, who is the product lead at Google AI Studio, suggested that AI mode would soon become the default mode on Google.
Later, Google’s Robby Stein, VP, Product at Google Search, clarified that the company only plans to make it easier to access AI mode for those who wish to use it.
Right now, there are no plans to make AI mode the default for everyone, but if you prefer AI mode as your default search tab, there will be a toggle or a button to do that.
This would mean the traditional blue links will not appear by default, but you’ll be able to switch to old results by finding the “Web” tab, which is tucked at the very end of the bar.
What sucks in all of this is the fact that I’m basically writing about the potential end to my 20 year writing career. Since AI Mode started getting rolled out, I started seeing more and more days where Freezenet gets less than 40 views. This is far from the pre-Google AI world where the site would get up to 400 views in a day. The erosion of traffic Google’s AI projects caused is quite astonishing, really. What’s worse is knowing that things are only going to get worse from here on out. To add to the cherry on top of this awful story, there are those that are actively celebrating the death of the open internet:
It’s a huge time saver, I just ask a question and get a straight answer in seconds. I don’t have to click into an article and read through 6 paragraphs to find the answer anymore
Call me crazy but I’d rather let an AI generate a couple of of neutral, politely worded paragraphs summarizing the news than drag my psyche kicking and screaming once more through yet another angry article banged out by Mr. Dick for Clicks.
and the world is better
who gives a shit, most websites are ad ridden hellholes with barely any pertinent information. let them die by the hand of technology that is unanimously better and more useful for the consumer
90% of those news sites are aggregators, another 5% just a summary of a summary of the final 5%, which is the actual long form, good writing type articles.
So no, most of those sites are absolute useless trash.
Good. Most of these websites are sleazy middlemen standing between me and the information I want, trying to sell me something before they let me through. I’ve been sick of this for a long time and I’ll be glad when AI puts an end to it. I’m happy to pay $20/month for someone to actually try to get me the information I’m looking for.
I had some hope at one point that users would revolt against a product that is both awful and destroys small businesses, but it seems people could care less about the well-being of small businesses and are all for Google wiping everyone out. For some, a Google monopoly is a good thing and no one should be able to earn a living writing any more. It sucks when people support evil, but here we are.
Drew Wilson on Mastodon, Twitter and Facebook.
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