The popularity of ChatGPT, OpenAI’s proprietary chatbot, knows no bounds. Such has been its impact that many are beginning to question the survival of search engines such as Google itself. The creator of Gmail, Paul Buchheit, has voiced his opinion on the matter and claims that Google’s days could be numbered.
Launched in November 2022, ChatGPT has become one of the most visited websites by Internet users. Many use it as a tool and others just to hang out. However, there is a large portion of users who use ChatGPT to answer questions. Instead of offering a series of links as a classic search engine would do, ChatGPT immediately solves your question.
Because of this, Google is being forced to turn to new horizons, as the “code red” issued by the company itself among its employees suggests.
Will it be the end of Google as we know it?
It is no secret that one of the mainstays of Google’s business is advertising. Here, its search engine is key, as it positions search results accordingly: Google charges advertisers a fee for displaying products and websites in the top positions. However, ChatGPT could change this whole strategy. In fact, they must do so if they want to endure over time.
Paul Buchheit details this nicely in his Twitter thread. According to the programmer, technologies such as artificial intelligence could put an end to the need to display pages full of links. And the fact is that during 2021, the big tech company earned revenues of more than $250 billion, thanks in part to advertising.
Fortunately or unfortunately, the success of ChatGPT is making things change. Will the search engines evolve accordingly? Will it get better or worse? Only time will tell.
