AI Is Killing Google Search Traffic

Sunday, June 15, 2025

Internet search traffic has been falling for much of the past year as web surfers experiment with artificial-intelligence-powered search from OpenAI's ChatGPT and AI start-up Perplexity AI.

Posted by Sentinel at 12:31 PM | 11 COMMENTS | permalink | Comment on This Entry |

Alternate links: Google News | Twitter

Comments

Admin's note: Participants in this discussion must follow the site's moderation policy. Profanity will be filtered. Abusive conduct is not allowed.

Most of the searches I've done have been well, meh.

Not that impressive, and often factually, TOTALLY Wrong.

AI is more hype than substance.

In My humble Opinion.

#1 | Posted by Effeteposer at 2025-06-14 12:19 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

AI can be very a very useful tool if you understand and use it as a tool. Just like a physical toolbox, if you think it's going to do the job for you, you'll be disappointed at best and end up with a disaster at worst.

Search engines pretty much screwed themselves over long before the current trend of "A.I." came along, IMO. I remember the early days of WWW searches, where you could actually search for an exact word or string and actually find pages containing them. That option was phased out years ago.

#2 | Posted by sentinel at 2025-06-15 12:43 PM | Reply | Funny: 1

ANY THOUGHTS? What DO YOU consider the most useful search engine methodology with most flexibility at straight forward objective unbiased results with least tracking and most privacy?

#3 | Posted by Robson at 2025-06-15 01:40 PM | Reply | Funny: 1

Google turned to garbage before this 'AI' crap hit.

I finally gave up and stopped using it for most searches a few years ago, now it's just occasional use if DDG doesn't give me anything useful.

It's sad. It used to be the best out there before it started trying to outsmart me instead of just showing me what I was searching for.

#4 | Posted by DarkVader at 2025-06-15 02:41 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

Whomever is in charge of Google analytics had $$$ knowledge. Now it's those working OpenAI analytics who can see into the brains of the world's people

#5 | Posted by hamburglar at 2025-06-15 03:19 PM | Reply

As seemed to have been the norm in the Tech Industry for decades, the far-ahead leader (monopolist?) does not have to worry about competitors taking the lead position away from them. Maybe a dribble of marketshare, but the lead? Not likely.

For example, Microsoft once owned computing, but mainly on desktops. But, how did Microsoft do in smartphones, the current leader in consumer computing?

The main worry of the leader is an upstart technology that seeks to solve the same problem, but in a very different manner.

#6 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-06-15 05:59 PM | Reply

Like an Abacus.

#7 | Posted by Effeteposer at 2025-06-15 07:49 PM | Reply

If you want a demonstration on how stupid the AI search is, ask Google if Barack Obama is related to Jenna Bush.

#8 | Posted by sentinel at 2025-06-15 07:54 PM | Reply

@#8 ... If you want a demonstration on how stupid the AI search is, ask Google if Barack Obama is related to Jenna Bush ...

Do correct result matter?

Or just the results wanted to be seen?

#9 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-06-15 07:59 PM | Reply

Most of us deal with a practical (or actually impractical or immature version of AI) every time we contact some customer service or customer assistant in a frustrating and feeble attempt to get assistance calling your cable provider or any need for customer service. They say tell us in a sentence what it is you need. In standard use the concept has a long way to go to be practical at the same level as any customer service rep. Their primary initial goal is to replace humans and the human ability to interpret humanity, comprehend abstract and understand.

#10 | Posted by Robson at 2025-06-15 08:45 PM | Reply

@#10 ... Most of us ...

Who is the "us" in your AI robot comment?

Please be specific.

thx.

#11 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-06-15 09:01 PM | Reply