From Searching to Conversing

For decades, Google has been our main gateway to online information. We users would perform a search and receive a list of links ranked by relevance. A model that’s still the standard for internet search.

The emergence of large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Deepseek, or Gemini is changing the paradigm. Today we can hold natural conversations with AI assistants that provide direct, contextualized answers without forcing us to navigate through multiple links or consume advertising.

This advancement doesn’t just affect how we access information, it also poses significant challenges to business models based on advertising and traditional SEO.

From Link Engine to Informed Dialogue

Traditional search engines like Google’s work by indexing web pages and presenting results based on keywords. This approach requires us users to formulate specific queries and select among various links to find the desired information. Along the way, Google charges its advertisers so that, during this process, we users are impacted with ads related to our searches. Very briefly, that’s how it works.

In contrast, LLMs offer us fluid, conversational interaction. We can work side by side with them, train them to meet our needs more efficiently, and receive elaborate responses that integrate information from diverse sources. Plus, they’re platforms that can maintain conversation context, allowing follow-up queries or new queries related to previous ones to be much more efficient.

• Learn more about LLMs at >> https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949948824000398

Direct Threat to Google’s Model?

Google’s search engine business model is primarily based on advertising associated with search results. Google is much more than that (like YouTube or Chrome, for example) but in 2024 around 57% of Alphabet’s total revenue came from Google Search billing.

With the rise of LLMs, this model is under threat. Users who receive complete and satisfactory answers directly from an AI assistant are less likely to click on ads or sponsored links. In fact, they’ll increasingly have fewer incentives to use traditional search engines.

As you’d expect, Google itself has acknowledged the threat and is investing heavily in positioning Gemini with the goal of staying competitive in this new environment. However, integrating this technology into its current business model presents significant challenges.

New Behaviors, New Challenges

The adoption of LLMs is beginning to change users’ search behaviors. Instead of performing multiple searches and comparing different sources, we can get complete answers in a single interaction. It’s a fact that, for certain tasks, it makes no sense to keep using traditional search engines. At the user experience level, well-used LLMs win by far.

Of course, there are drawbacks. Any LLM can generate inaccurate or biased responses and we run the risk of relying on them excessively. Nothing that doesn’t have a solution and above all, nothing we can’t protect ourselves from through critical use and judgment of these powerful tools.

We’re heading (through various paths) toward a relationship with the digital world where interactions will increasingly have a higher level of personalization. This offers opportunities for more effective communication but also raises many questions.

Suggested reading: “Know where to go: Make LLM a relevant, responsible, and trustworthy searchers”

One has to do with these LLMs’ capacity to generate content and it will increasingly affect how we consume content and information.

The Future Is Conversational

Large-scale language models are profoundly transforming how we search for information. They’re also leveraging our capacity to generate content and our productivity in general. A transition full of opportunities and challenges is underway that has no turning back. Its course may vary, but it won’t go back to being “what it was before” (which is still “what it is now” for millions of users who haven’t yet familiarized themselves with AI).

Of course, all these changes have far-reaching economic and professional implications. Beyond the specific problem Google faces in defending its revenue, many companies will need to change how they generate value and some sectors like digital advertising will be impacted in a very significant way. It’s no small matter.

Without a doubt, the future of internet searches is conversational and the sooner you learn to talk with these machines, the much better for you.