Search engines have changed forever with the introduction of generative AI. Overall, I think it’s a great thing for user experience on search engines.
But for publishers? We’ll have to wait and see what the reduction in click throughs mean for their business, and for advertising as a whole.
Probably the most intelligent take I’ve heard came from a conversation I had with a former senior advisor to Google’s CEO. In regards to ChatGPT, the advisor said, “This might be the first time Google has really had to try as a business in over a decade.”
Such a hot topic. To go deeper, I wanted to see what other marketers and search engine enthusiasts thought about whether ChatGPT is going to be a disrupter to Google’s business.
How Big of a Threat is ChatGPT to Google's Business?
From being a major threat to only shifting Google’s competitiveness, here are 10 answers to the question, "How big of a threat is ChatGPT to Google's business?"
- ChatGPT Has the Potential to Be a Threat
- It Could Challenge Google's Position
- It's Not Even a Threat
- Search is Here to Stay
- None, Because Behavior Change is So Hard
- Google is Investing in AI Technology
- Not a Direct Threat
- ChatGPT Threatens Google's Ad Revenue
- ChatGPT Can Reduce Time Spent Searching for an Answer
- It Could Make Google Less Competitive in the Market
ChatGPT Has the Potential to Be a Threat
ChatGPT has the potential to be a threat to Google's business, as it could reduce the need for Google Search. This is because ChatGPT can provide users with personalized answers and information quickly and easily, without requiring them to search through Google first.
Additionally, ChatGPT allows for more natural conversations between humans and robots, making it more efficient for users to find information. This could reduce the number of people using Google Search, which would be a major blow to Google's business.
However, it is still too early to tell exactly how much of a threat ChatGPT could pose to Google's business in the future.
Aviad Faruz
CEO, FARUZO
It Could Challenge Google's Position
Google currently has a dominant market share, but it is possible that ChatGPT could challenge this position, as it is an impressive language model that can provide accurate and relevant search results.
Additionally, it is open-source, which makes it an attractive option for developers and businesses looking to create their own search engine. For Google, this could mean a significant drop in market share and profitability.
Brenton Thomas
CEO, Twibi
It's Not Even a Threat
While ChatGPT can answer questions and engage in natural language conversations, it does not provide the full range of Google services, such as search, email, cloud storage, advertising, and other products. Moreover, Google has its own AI-powered language model, Google Assistant, which is integrated into many of its products and services.
However, when developed and improved further, ChatGPT can help improve some Google functions. For instance, it can provide more personalized and relevant Google search results, potentially reducing the need for a traditional keyword-based search.
Johannes Larsson
Founder and CEO, JohannesLarsson.com
Search is Here to Stay
As an AI language model, ChatGPT is not a direct threat to Google's business. While ChatGPT can answer a wide range of questions and provide information, it only offers a partial suite of services that Google provides.
Google's search engine and other products have been so ingrained in people's daily lives and habits for over two decades, making it challenging for any new product to disrupt its dominance.
However, AI language models like ChatGPT may impact the way people search and consume information in the future. Google may need to continue to adapt and innovate to maintain its position as the leading search engine and technology provider.
Shane McEvoy
MD, Flycast Media
None, Because Behavior Change is So Hard
Although ChatGPT boasts its unique features and advantages, persuading users to shift from a familiar search engine like Google to a new AI-powered chatbot is a formidable challenge. People often show reluctance to change, and even if they acknowledge the benefits of a new product, they may still hesitate to adopt it because of the time and effort required to learn and adjust to it.
This resistance to behavioral change can hinder even the most innovative and superior products' ability to establish a foothold in the market. As such, ChatGPT may not pose a significant threat to Google's dominance in the search engine industry, as the behavioral change required for users to transition to ChatGPT may be too arduous to undertake.
Burak Özdemir
Founder, Online Alarm Kur
Google is Investing in AI Technology
In my expert opinion, Google is one of the leading companies in AI research and development. They have their own language models, such as BERT and GPT-3, and are constantly improving their AI capabilities. Therefore, it is unlikely that ChatGPT will overtake Google in the AI space anytime soon.
Leonidas Sfyris
CTO, NEEDaFIXER
Not a Direct Threat
ChatGPT does not directly threaten Google's core business, primarily search and advertising. While ChatGPT can answer a wide range of questions, it does not have the same level of integration with other services and platforms that Google does. Additionally, Google's search and advertising capabilities are highly advanced and constantly evolving, making it difficult for any competitor to displace its market dominance.
ChatGPT and other language models represent a broader trend toward more advanced AI technologies that might disrupt various industries and business models. In the future, AI language models can provide more sophisticated and nuanced responses to user queries, which could have implications for search engines and other information platforms. However, it is still too early to predict how significant this impact will be and how quickly it will materialize.
David Reid
Sales Director, VEM Tooling
ChatGPT Threatens Google's Ad Revenue
ChatGPT poses a significant threat to Google's business since advertising is Google's cash cow. ChatGPT's capacity to offer tailored answers to complex questions will probably decrease Google search traffic. Since Google is publicly traded, the company must keep growing profits to keep investors happy. If ChatGPT took even 25% of Google's search volume away, it could be catastrophic to their business.
However, it's essential to remember that ChatGPT still has several issues. For example, it can't provide answers based on personal experience, sometimes cites imaginary sources, and has its own sense of morality. Nonetheless, if ChatGPT continues improving and addressing its shortcomings, it could become a formidable rival to Google search and potentially disrupt the market share of search engines overall.
Axel DeAngelis
Founder and Marketing Strategist, Jumpcoast
ChatGPT Can Reduce Time Spent Searching for an Answer
It's easy to forget that Google's users aren't actually their customers; advertisers are their customers. The users are effectively the product, enticing businesses to advertise on Google's display network and paid search listings.
If users stop visiting Google because they can receive succinct answers from an alternative source, Google's search traffic will plummet. If Google can't service the advertising needs of its customers, it will simply look elsewhere, causing Google's ad revenue to plummet.
This is particularly true in the business-to-customer (B2C) space, where users are often just looking for answers to questions, rather than seeking to explore products. After all, why trawl through dozens of frustrating ads and irrelevant search listings when ChatGPT answers your question immediately?
Google must, therefore, stay relevant, as its business model may go the way of Blockbuster.
Oliver Savill
CEO and Founder, AssessmentDay
It Could Make Google Less Competitive in the Market
ChatGPT presents a potential threat to Google's business, as it has the potential to disrupt existing conversational AI platforms. ChatGPT's deep learning technology is designed to mimic natural language processing and understand conversations better than other platforms.
This could mean that Google could become less competitive in the current market, as ChatGPT can provide customers with a more natural and efficient conversational AI experience.
Gabriel Bogner
Co-founder, Mate Fertility
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