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Google changes its search box

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Re: Google changes its search box

#442

I'm old enough to remember when "Google" was something that ended conversations. People — myself included — would literally say "Google it," the facts would be located, and that was that. Now that Google wants to be the conversation, I'm worried there will no longer be a bias-free source of information for the masses. This is all new, so I may be a bit hyperbolic, but the reason OpenAI introducing ads bothers me is t…

Google is not bias-free, and has not been for a long time.

Re: Google changes its search box

#443
post #418

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yep. For years we've been telling people to 'just fucking google it', and now when they do they're getting bullshit AI answers. Worst thing is, some of these bullshit answers will be medical, some of them financial, it seems pretty certain people are being harmed.

It seems to me one needs to consider the complexity of the question they are asking before searching it. To stick with your post, consider people asking medical or financial questions. For a wide variety of reasons, many of such questions don't have an answer. In such cases, AI is still going to take a crack at it. AI shouldn't be blamed for "bullshit answers" to such questions. Before using AI, I think people should…

> one needs to consider the complexity of the question they are asking before searching...consider people asking medical or financial questions...many of such questions don't have an answer. In such cases, AI is still going to take a crack at it. AI shouldn't be blamed for "bullshit answers"...people should stop and ask themselves, "Is there really a single answer to this question?

It's a bold position to say that it's the users fault for being lied to by Google. There isn't a "single answer" to most questions. It's still Google's job to provide answers that are accurate and reflect the best information available on complicated topics. That's what they're trying to sell us anyway. When google's AI can't live up to the hype "You shouldn't be asking AI such difficult questions" is not a great response, especially when people are just trying to get web search results and AI is suddenly interrupting with an opinion nobody asked for.

Re: Google changes its search box

#444
post #408
post #351

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Depends on what you ask. It's pretty easy to get wrong information. e.g. search for "how do you make money with options" Google's AI says "When you buy a Call, you are betting the stock price will go up. When you buy a Put, you are betting it will go down." Wrong right off the bat, because it ingested a whole bunch of get-rich-quick bull on the internet. The correct version is that if you buy a call you are betting t…

Is that really categorically wrong , or is it a correct-enough explanation for laypeople looking for a one-sentence answer?

It is, in fact, categorically wrong, and misleads beginners to make bad decisions. Robinhood is notably bad for promoting this kind of gambling behavior on its platforms; they also state the same misinformation (that you buy a call if you think something is going to go up, when it is in fact a bet that it is going to go up more than a certain amount in a certain period of time).

People shoot themselves in the foot because they think NVDA is going to go up after earnings, buy call options, and then even though the stock goes up they lose money because they did not understand IV crush.

People looking for one-sentence explanations should really not be playing with options. In finance you should understand what you're buying thoroughly. If you just want to bet that "NVDA goes up", you should just buy NVDA stock; that is the trade that accurately captures that bet.

Re: Google changes its search box

#446
post #159

So how does google now make money when it is just providing us with direct answers from ai, instead of showing us both paid for search results and directing us to sites which host targetted ads? How does adsense work when there are no search results?

"When is Stephen Colberts last show?" "The last episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is airing on Thursday, May 21, 2026. Based on your interest in The Late Show with Stephen Colbert you might also like the new Amazon Prime Video series of Last One Laughing, available to stream now" Does that answer your question?

You're missing the point. What incentive will websites have to create that content in the first place if you never visit? This was the contract with google adrev and website owners -- google would direct traffic to your site and hopefully they click around.

If google is now actively keeping you away from content, whats the point in creating?

Re: Google changes its search box

#448
post #62

Does the math math on this to be "free" for a long period of time? Ads can only pay for so much and AI can really suck down the money. Ads have been close enough to covering costs for conventional internet search that even though I'm clearly the product and not the customer the relationship has still generally worked. If AI makes the "searching" 50 times more expensive, though, that could shift the relationship prett…

> These generative UI capabilities will be available for everyone in Search this summer, free of charge.

This is the end. The fact that they had to say that this is "free of charge" means they are thinking about cost. Both to them now and us in the future. This sucks.

Re: Google changes its search box

#449
post #159

So how does google now make money when it is just providing us with direct answers from ai, instead of showing us both paid for search results and directing us to sites which host targetted ads? How does adsense work when there are no search results?

"When is Stephen Colberts last show?" "The last episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is airing on Thursday, May 21, 2026. Based on your interest in The Late Show with Stephen Colbert you might also like the new Amazon Prime Video series of Last One Laughing, available to stream now" Does that answer your question?

Huh? These are my results when I put that prompt in:

  The final episode of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert will air on Thursday, May 21, 2026, at 11:35 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.Final Week Broadcast DetailsThe Finale Date: Thursday, May 21, 2026.Air Time: 11:35 p.m. ET/PT.Where to Watch: Broadcasts live on the CBS Television Network and streams live on Paramount+ for Premium subscribers (available on-demand the next day for ad-supported tiers).Finale Guests: CBS is keeping the final episode's lineup completely under wraps, though the preceding days featured major appearances from Jon Stewart, Steven Spielberg, David Byrne, and Bruce Springsteen.Context of the FarewellThe 11th season finale marks the conclusion of Colbert's decade-long run as host, following a controversial cancellation announcement by Paramount Global. While CBS publicly attributes the ending to a financial decision amidst a shifting late-night market, media analysts and former host David Letterman have heavily criticized the move. Many view the cancellation as a corporate effort to avoid friction with the Trump administration during critical regulatory mergers. Following Colbert's departure, CBS will retire The Late Show franchise completely and hand the time slot over to syndicated programming.Watch Stephen Colbert confirm his final broadcast date on Late Night with Seth Meyers:31sStephen Colbert confirms his final show date and reveals ...Late Night with Seth MeyersYouTube• Jan 28, 2026Are you looking for information on how to attend the remaining tapings, or would you like to know more about what Byron Allen show is replacing his time slot?

Re: Google changes its search box

#450
post #191

tried it out: Search: "Hello world" > AI Overview > Hello! Wordle is the viral word-guessing game where you get 6 tries to uncover a mystery target word, using color-coded hints to guide your guesses.

I got:

"Hello, world! Welcome to the classic programming greeting. It is the traditional test message used to introduce beginners to computer science and verify that a language's syntax is properly understood"

Which clearly shows that there will be an avalanche of issues when non-technical people discover the joys of non-deterministic results.

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