Google and Alphabet’s CEO Sundar Pichai recently engaged in a conversation about AI, focusing heavily on the future of search. He shared his vision of how search and the role of websites will evolve over the next decade, emphasizing that while technology will change, the fundamental principles will remain the same.

Key Points on the Future of Search

AI is Already Integral to Search
Pichai highlighted that today’s search engines are already powered by AI. He emphasized that people trust search and that websites will continue to play a crucial role in the Internet’s ecosystem.

These Are the Early Days
When asked if the rapid advancements in AI surprised him, Pichai affirmed that Google has been a leader in AI, building the necessary infrastructure since 2016. He pointed out that the AI era is just beginning and hinted at even more significant developments to come.

Pichai stated:

“…one of the main things I did as a CEO is to really pivot the company towards working on AI and I think that’ll serve us well for the next decade ahead. For example, now I look back and compute is the hot currency now. We built TPUs, we started really building them at scale in 2016 right, so we have definitely been thinking about this for a long time. …we’ve always had a sense for the trajectory ahead and in many ways we’ve been preparing the company for that and so I think foundationally a lot of our R&D …a lot of it has gone into AI for a long time and so I feel incredibly well positioned for what’s coming. We’re still in the very early days I think people will be surprised at the level of progress we’re going to see and I feel like we’ve scratched the tip of the iceberg.”

Technology Changes, Fundamentals Stay the Same
When questioned about the future of search, Pichai reassured that websites will remain vital. Despite concerns that AI might replace search and diminish the relevance of websites, he insisted that search will continue to evolve, incorporating new technologies while maintaining its core functions.

Pichai explained:

“Look, I think it’s one of the common myths around that Google has been ten blue links for a long time. You know, when mobile came we knew Google search had to evolve a lot. We call it Featured Snippets, but for almost ten years now, you go to Google for many questions we kind of use AI to answer them right, we call it web answers internally. And so, we’ve always answered questions where we can but we always felt when people come and look for information people in certain cases want answers but they also want the richness and the diversity of what’s out there in the world and it’s a good balance to be had and we’ve always, I think, struck that balance pretty well. To me all that is different is now the technology by which you can answer is progressing, so we will continue doing that. But this evolution has been underway in search for a long long time.”

Trust in Search
Pichai noted that search has consistently evolved over the years, transitioning from simple text and blue links to a more integrated experience with images, videos, and direct answers. Despite these changes, the goal remains to provide reliable information from the web.

He added:

“Search used to be text and 10 blue links maybe 15 years ago but you know be it images, be it videos, be it finding answers for your questions, those are all changes you know …to my earlier point people kind of shrug and …we’ve done all this in Google search for a long time and people like it, people engage with it, people trust it. So to me, I view it as a more natural continuation, obviously with LLMs and AI. I think you have a more powerful tool to do that and so which is what we are putting in search, you know with Search Generative Experience and so we’ll continue evolving it in that direction too.”

Websites and Search Engines Coexist
When addressing concerns about political and cultural biases in search, Pichai reiterated the importance of reflecting diverse opinions and information found on the web. He emphasized that even with new AI-driven features like Search Generative Experience, the goal is to direct users to a wide range of viewpoints available on websites.

Pichai stated:

“Let’s talk about search for a second here, you’re asking a very important question. I think you know the the work we have done over many many years making sure, from a search standpoint, in search we try to reflect what’s out in the web. And we want to give trustworthy high quality information. We’ve had to navigate all of this for a long time. I think we’ve always struck the balance, that’s what I’m saying, it’s not about giving an answer, there are certain times you give an answer, what’s the population of the United States, yes it’s an answerable question. There are times you want to surface the breadth of opinions out there on the web which is what search does and does it well. Just because you’re saying we are summarizing it on top doesn’t mean we veer from those principles. The summary can still point you to the range of opinions out there right, and we do that today all the time.”

SGE is Not a Chatbot Experience
Pichai clarified that the Search Generative Experience (SGE) is distinct from chatbot interactions, emphasizing that SGE is an extension of search, not a replacement. This differentiation is crucial for understanding that SGE aims to enhance search rather than diminish the role of websites.

He elaborated:

“And so I think that’s different from when you’re in a chatbot and I think that’s the more active area of research where sometimes it has its voice so how do you get those moments right and you know again for us I think it’s an area where we will be deeply committed to getting it right. How do you do it in a way that which you represent the wide range of views that are held by people around the world and I think there are many aspects to it, the issues with AI models are not just at Google you see it across other models.”

AI Enhances Search
Finally, Pichai described AI as a tool that enhances existing technologies rather than replacing them. He emphasized that AI can improve search, YouTube, Waymo, and more, benefiting both Google’s products and its customers.

He concluded:

“…of course as a company you want to make sure you’re capitalizing on those innovations and building successful products, businesses, but I think we’ve long demonstrated that we can do it. The thing that excites me about AI is it’s the same underlying piece of technology for the first time in our history we have one leveraged piece of technology which can improve search, can improve YouTube, can improve Waymo and we put it all as cloud to our customers outside and so I feel good about that.”

Takeaways

Pichai’s interview provided a detailed look at the future of search, emphasizing several key points:

• AI has long been a part of Google’s infrastructure.
• Google has been providing direct answers and summaries for years.
• Websites will remain integral to search.
• SGE enhances search rather than replacing it.
• Search and chatbots serve different purposes.
• AI is a tool to improve search, not replace it.