This is TAIKI, an intern at BVC. I am pleased to bring you from Utah on the subject of the demise of Google search as AI evolves!
Not long ago,
it was commonplace to first google something when you thought, "I want to know something. We would type in a keyword and choose what we needed from the mountain of information that popped up.
This was the era of "humans searching for information.
But now - with the advent of generative AI - that common sense is beginning to be shaken.
When you ask an AI a question, it returns an answer in a single shot. What's more, it even suggests actions to take. This is no longer an evolution of search engines, but a change in the very concept of search.
The “Information Revolution” in the early days of the Internet
In the early 2000s.
The spread of the Internet and search engines democratized information. Society developed rapidly as anyone could access vast amounts of knowledge instantly.
At the same time, it became necessary to have the skills to recognize the truth and falsity of information. In other words, we have entered an era that requires a high level of information literacy.
However, recent generative AI has fundamentally changed the nature of information seeking; AI has excelled at summarizing knowledge as well as providing clear paths to achieving complex objectives.
It doesn't just summarize information. For example.
When you want to plan a trip...
Just say “I want to go to California”
・Suggested flights
・Places to stay
・Weather forecast
・Recommendations for places to visit
─ AI will put it all together for you. It will even make personalized suggestions based on your past searches and interests.
From Information Gathering to Problem Solving
While traditional “search” is a process of picking up information, search by generative AI is changing to “problem solving,” where it guides you to your next action.
However, can we leave everything to AI? The answer is NO.
“It's still better to Google”
1. Real-time information
→ Search is more accurate and faster than AI for earthquake alerts and the latest news.
2. Areas where reliability is required
→ In areas where misinformation can be fatal, such as medicine, law, and politics, it is essential to check multiple reliable sources.
3. Reading culture and emotions
→ AI is still not good at understanding subtle emotions and cultural backgrounds, such as "reading the room.
Human skills required from now on
What we need in the future is the skill to use AI correctly = AI literacy.
It will become more and more important to deal with AI with such “critical thinking” as
・confirming the source and basis of information
・understanding bias and bias
・not believing in AI answers.
Finally, the ability to Google and AI are both important.
With the advent of generative AI, the number of situations in which it is not necessary to “Google” is increasing.
However,
- The ability to get behind information
- The ability to get in touch with real voices
- The ability to check reliability by oneself
These skills will remain necessary.
The advent of AI has given us a chance to focus on more essential "human-like work. We may need to understand AI and be prepared to build a future together with it, and we may need the skills to do so.
