Kelly Evans: Goodbye, Google (www.cnbc.com)

In a significant shift for the digital landscape, Google is transitioning to an AI-centric model marked by the introduction of its chatbot, Gemini, which has users abandoning traditional search formats. This change reflects a growing dissatisfaction among users over search results being cluttered by ads, diminishing the effectiveness of Google as a search engine. With regulators standing by to monitor this transition, the disruption of Google’s monopoly is seen as an opportunity for innovation and better services, as companies like ChatGPT continue to grow, boasting 900 million active weekly users. The implications of this shift are profound for the broader internet ecosystem, which has long relied on Google for traffic and visibility. Content creators, bloggers, and media outlets that depended on search engine rankings may now find their business models unsustainable. As AI chatbots create content by accessing vast libraries of internet data, legal challenges are anticipated regarding intellectual property rights. Overall, while Google repositions itself within the AI conversation, the once-thriving digital economy faces uncertainty as it adapts to a new reality shaped by advanced AI technologies.