As AI technology becomes increasingly integrated into our daily lives, one major question arises: will AI search engines spell the end for traditional websites? In this engaging lesson, we explore the potential impact of AI-driven search results on web traffic, the news industry, and the broader internet landscape. We’ll examine real-world examples and discuss the implications of AI-generated content on the accuracy and reliability of information. Perfect for English learners, this lesson includes vocabulary enrichment, comprehension questions, and thought-provoking discussion prompts to enhance your understanding and communication skills. Dive in and discover what the future holds for the digital world!
| Will AI search engines lead to the death of the website? Some fear they will |
Warm-up question:
Have you ever noticed incorrect or strange answers when using an AI or search engine? How did it affect your trust in the information you received?
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AILSA CHANG, HOST:
AI has arrived for Google search. The tech giant says now when you Google, you will get AI results at the top of the page. Online publishers and website owners fear it will be catastrophic to web traffic. NPR’s Bobby Allyn reports.
BOBBY ALLYN, BYLINE: Last week Google executive Liz Reid walked out onto a massive stage at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View and made a declaration that could change the internet forever.
LIZ REID: So whatever’s on your mind, whatever you need to get done, just ask, and Google will do the Googling for you.
ALLYN: Google will do the Googling for you. OK, clever one, Google. But what does that even mean? Well, it means Google’s AI will now comb vast corners of the internet, suck up the text from multiple sites and spit out an answer to your question. It’s Google’s response to ChatGPT. And it could upend the whole internet, since about 90% of online searches are done on Google. If everyone is getting the information they need by having AI paraphrase websites, why would anyone ever need to click a link?
DANIELLE COFFEY: Google decides what the user gets, serves it up, and they don’t need us anymore. Then that means we’re getting replaced.
ALLYN: That’s Danielle Coffey. She runs the News Media Alliance. They represent more than 2,000 newspapers, and they are freaking out. She says this change will be disastrous to the news industry. Here’s why – most news sites rely on online ads. If web traffic plummets, that means advertising revenue drops at a moment when the news industry is under pressure like never before. Google’s AI search is barely a week old, and Coffey says many newspapers are already saying web traffic is cratering.
COFFEY: I just don’t see this being good for society but also good for the AI models themselves. If they suck us dry, what’s left to feed off of?
ALLYN: What she’s saying is this – if Google’s AI search leads to fewer people going to websites, it could cause a death spiral, news sites disappear and less and less to feed the AI machines. Right now, one site Google AI pulls from a lot is Wikipedia. Selena Deckelmann works for the foundation that oversees Wikipedia. She says the website’s No. 1 source of funding are individual donations. If traffic drastically sank, it could cripple Wikipedia.
SELENA DECKELMANN: We’d encounter all kinds of challenges. You know, I think it would reduce the donations, which then makes it difficult for us to support the website.
ALLYN: Then there’s another issue and something we’ve seen with other AI tools – answers riddled with inaccuracies. Google’s AI overview has told users to eat rocks and mix pizza cheese with glue. Not great – I asked Google’s Hema Budaraju about this. She’s a senior director of product at Google.
HEMA BUDARAJU: We’ve generally seen that these are uncommon queries and not representative of most people’s experience using search.
ALLYN: Part of the issue is that Google’s AI overview summarized from random users on Reddit and took the satirical site The Onion seriously. Deckelmann says Wikipedia is edited by an army of human volunteers. Google’s AI overview is the opposite – information processed and presented by machine learning.
DECKELMANN: There’s risk there that we can already see that what comes out of that is nonsense.
ALLYN: But Google emphasized to me that overall, its tests show people love getting answers quicker. The company told me the so-called user experience is far superior to the old Google. Coffey, with the News Media Alliance, isn’t buying it. She compares Google’s AI overview to another service from more than 20 years ago.
COFFEY: Napster was a great user experience.
ALLYN: The music service was shut down over copyright infringement for offering up people’s work without payment or permission. Coffey says tech companies love to say they’re just giving people what they want.
COFFEY: It doesn’t make it legal, and it doesn’t make it equitable for those who are feeding that user experience for free.
ALLYN: Google, no doubt, will make money off AI search. Just days ago, Google announced it will start including ads alongside all of its AI-generated snippets. Bobby Allyn, NPR News.
Vocabulary and Phrases:
- Catastrophic: Involving or causing sudden great damage or suffering.
- Comb: To search thoroughly and systematically.
- Upend: To turn something upside down; to cause drastic change.
- Paraphrase: To express the meaning of something written or spoken using different words, especially to achieve greater clarity.
- Cratering: Falling or collapsing suddenly and dramatically.
- Death spiral: A situation that rapidly gets worse and becomes out of control, leading to disaster.
- Riddled with: Full of or filled with something undesirable.
- Satirical: Using humor, irony, or exaggeration to criticize or make fun of something, especially in politics or other topical issues.
- Not buying it: Not believing or accepting something.
- Copyright infringement: The violation of the legal right granted to the creator of original work, by copying it without permission.
- Snippets: Small pieces or brief extracts.
Comprehension Questions:
- What new feature has Google introduced in its search engine, and why are online publishers concerned?
- How does Google’s new AI feature work according to the report?
- What are the potential consequences for news sites if web traffic declines due to Google’s AI search?
- What issues have been observed with the accuracy of Google’s AI-generated answers?
- How does Danielle Coffey compare Google’s AI overview to Napster, and what is her concern?
Discussion Questions:
- Do you think AI-generated search results can truly replace the need to visit websites for information? Why or why not?
- What could be the long-term effects on the internet if AI-driven search results lead to a significant decline in web traffic for publishers?
- How can companies ensure that AI-generated content maintains accuracy and reliability?
- What are the ethical implications of AI using content from various websites without directing traffic back to those sites?
- Do you agree with the comparison between Google’s AI search feature and Napster? Why or why not?
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