AI and the internet: the changes to be expected
The AI ChatGPT solution has interested many Internet users since its appearance on the Internet. This chatbot associated with Microsoft Bing wants to surpass the hegemony of Google on the web. So, after having presented and following the dazzling success of ChatGPT, Google has also presented Bard. It is a chatbot integrated into Google Search. Given this craze, we wonder how chatbots and especially artificial intelligence will impact and modify behaviour on the Internet. Of course, the opinions put forward in this article are not yet confirmed, but they will give us a first glimpse of the changes that may come.
Searches made easier and more efficient by AI
By developing chatbots and integrating them into their solutions, search engines are aiming to save time. Indeed, when one goes through the classic internet searches, the SERP gives a list with an incalculable number of results. You have to choose the page or article that will be useful to you from the multitude of results given. This practice is not efficient. It is not possible to know the real results of the request and the search. It is possible to miss out on real useful information if you do not open the right article, page or site.
By using an AI solution during searches, the user avoids this kind of inconvenience. A chatbot such as ChatGPT or BARD will avoid wasting time in searches. It will provide faster, more complete and more concise answers.
However, even if artificial intelligence associated with the internet aims at speed and time saving, it is still a difficult task to achieve this aim. Chatbots still have many concerns. It is essential that Internet users who use these AI solutions provide feedback so that designers and developers can improve them.
Information will be more difficult to verify
Although AI is bound to solve many of the problems encountered on the internet today, the accuracy of the data and information remains the primary problem with this solution in the long term. On the other hand, it must be expected that Internet users will always be credulous and that it will be easy for them to be convinced by the results and information put forward by AI chatbots.
Without careful verification by developers and search engines, millions of users can be misled with inaccurate information. The strengthening of moderation procedures can be reinforced over time and the use of AI solutions on the Internet.
A relevant change in internet search habits
At the moment, the searches you do on the internet are not done in a natural way. Your searches are based on what the search engine algorithms want. You are therefore basing your searches on their requirements. It is in this sense that the Internet user will make use of different keywords to meet these needs.
By using an AI chatbot, the user will converse with the solution to get more precise answers. This will lead to better search results. The AI chatbot offers more precise and reliable answers to the Internet user. He will no longer have to consult numerous sites to get the answers to his questions.
A solution that will limit visits to online platforms
AI chatbots save time in getting accurate information from the internet. However, one of the main questions that arises is: what about revenue? Indeed, since Internet users will have more information in a minimum of time, searches will be less frequent. As time goes on, AI solutions and the results they display will become more reliable.
It should be noted that in order to function effectively, internet activities need income and remuneration. This is largely done through online advertising. And you can’t get paid without an audience for those ads. The accuracy and reliability of AI solutions can reduce traffic and viewing of certain online publications. As a result, the revenue from these will also decrease significantly. Not many people will read the published articles.
This situation will also have an impact on the effectiveness of AI chatbots. If publications are reduced, because revenues fall, chatbots will no longer have the necessary amount of information to analyse and propose to the user during virtual discussions. In the long term, the viability of the internet will also be compromised. But this is only a hypothesis. We will see how it evolves over time.
The purchasing process will be easier
AI search will also change the buying process on the Internet. In this sense, it will be improved and become easier. It will also be more convenient.
With the help of the AI chatbot, the Internet user will only have to ask, for example, for a suggestion on where to buy a specific product at the best price. The Internet user will no longer need to bother consulting the numerous reviews, often unreliable or too subjective, that he reads on certain platforms. This will save a lot of time and avoid coming across scams or counterfeit products.
With these AI solutions, it will even be easier to ask to make a quick comparison between the different products suggested. The same will be true for technical characteristics, displayed prices, customer reviews, tests carried out on the product, different brands, etc. The Internet user will no longer have to visit various manufacturer websites or platforms to get this information. The AI chatbot can summarise and compare the data during a simple online chat. The user can then make a quick decision and proceed with the purchase.
On the side of the editors and testers, this can harm their work. Indeed, chatbots will only summarise the information they have been working on for hours. But again, this is an assumption that developers may be able to solve in time.
In short, artificial intelligence is changing the way people interact with the Internet. However, several parameters still need to be adjusted in order to achieve the objectives. AI can facilitate the web browsing and purchasing process, but chatbots still need to be more mature.