The arrival of Chat GPT signalled a paradigm shift in the tech industry. AI was suddenly front and center in a way that it had never been previously, and that meant that tech companies had to work overtime to catch up. Both Microsoft and Google have announced that their search engines might start looking very different in the near future, but in spite of the fact that this is the case there are a few problems that they might face along the way.
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that there are seven major problems that might get in the way of AI assisted search online:
They can go so far as to invent data that doesn’t actually come from any real world sources. Other errors can come from cognitive biases that are a part of their programming, which have often resulted in chatbots saying misogynistic things or triggering people with mental illnesses.
Google has already been guilty of this thanks to its snippets feature which has gone so far as to name members of the KKK as former US presidents. This is a problem that has to be resolved since many users might not realize that the information is incorrect.
What is especially dangerous is that coding might not even be a requirement for this type of usage. All that is required is an understanding of language and how it can be twisted and manipulated.
AI assisted search engines are already many times more expensive than their traditional counterparts, so tech companies will have to figure out a revenue plan that will compensate for that.
Read next: 68% of Employees Are Using ChatGPT Without Telling Their Bosses
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that there are seven major problems that might get in the way of AI assisted search online:
1. AI Might Just Make Stuff Up
This might just be one of the biggest single problems facing AI assisted search. Large Language Models, which are the type of AI that are used to power these chatbots, are prone to generating content that may not actually be factually correct with all things having been considered and taken into account.They can go so far as to invent data that doesn’t actually come from any real world sources. Other errors can come from cognitive biases that are a part of their programming, which have often resulted in chatbots saying misogynistic things or triggering people with mental illnesses.
2. They Offer Definitive Answers That Eliminate Context and Nuance
Another problem facing chatbots and how they can be used in search engines is their tendency to want to provide one true answers. Search engines have frequently started offering answers that seem definitive, even though there is a lot of context and nuance that usually needs to be addressed.Google has already been guilty of this thanks to its snippets feature which has gone so far as to name members of the KKK as former US presidents. This is a problem that has to be resolved since many users might not realize that the information is incorrect.
3. The Chatbots Can Be Jailbroken and Misused
Most of the issues discussed above have to do with imperfect user experiences, but the issue of bad actors also needs to be addressed. Malicious actors can jail break these chatbots and use them for all sorts of negative purposes.What is especially dangerous is that coding might not even be a requirement for this type of usage. All that is required is an understanding of language and how it can be twisted and manipulated.
4. AI Search Could Induce Another Culture War
AI chatbots are going to provide answer based on the datasets they have, but they could quickly start inciting even more culture wars than might have been the case otherwise. People might not always be happy about the answers they get, and they might point a finger at the company behind these chatbots as the alleged source of the apparent bias.5. AI Search Might Be Cost Prohibitive
This is a problem that might end up stopping AI assisted search in its tracks because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up making it cost too much.average is probably single-digits cents per chat; trying to figure out more precisely and also how we can optimize it
— Sam Altman (@sama) December 5, 2022
AI assisted search engines are already many times more expensive than their traditional counterparts, so tech companies will have to figure out a revenue plan that will compensate for that.
6. Regulators Might Put Up Roadblocks
The speed at which this type of tech is advancing could spur regulatory authorities to take action and clamp down on them. For example, Google had to pay news organizations for using their content in search snippets, and chances are that the EU would want the same for AI chatbots as well especially since they are scraping the same data to a large extent.7. It Will Change the Internet for Good
For better or for worse, the rise of AI in search engines will spell the end of an era as far as the internet is concerned. Websites might start to lose ad revenue since AI can just scrape information from them and present the information to users without having to pay them anything. Website owners might need to develop new and better strategies to circumvent all that is going on, and that will present a unique challenge that not all of them might be able to overcome.
Read next: 68% of Employees Are Using ChatGPT Without Telling Their Bosses
