Bill Gates thinks AI will destroy search engines. In the wake of artificial assistants, searching the “traditional” way will get thrown out as the internet totally transforms; nonetheless, it might take a while for AI to fully replace search engines like Google or Microsoft’s Bing. Until then, tech companies will keep trying to implement GPT-like systems into their search systems. Microsoft is already aggressively pushing for this. When you search for something through Microsoft Edge, the chatbot’s response is the first thing to pop up. Victor Tangermann reports at Futurism,

Gates has been bullish on the topic of AI for a while now. Just last month, he told an audience during a keynote speech that AI could eventually teach kids how to read. Even within “the next 18 months, the AIs will come in as a teacher’s aide and give feedback on writing,” he said. “And then they will amp up what we’re able to do in math.”

-Victor Tangermann, Bill Gates Says AI Is Poised to Destroy Search Engines and Amazon (futurism.com)

Large Language Models are attractive for their seemingly conversational mannerisms; it’s plausible that, given their ability to synthesize and present information in a (mostly) coherent way, internet users will go to AI more and more to find information. This will have broad implications for fields like journalism and blogging, but also therapeutic practices. Suppose people go to AI more and more not just for information but for therapy, counsel, and life advice. It’s already happening, but where might it end?