I think I mostly want Google to help me find things. If I search for "windows" I'm 99% more likely to be looking for Microsoft Windows where as some carpenter or interior decorator is probably looking for glass windows.
This new issue is google claiming to tell me the right answer about any topic and it's really Google's AI claiming to know the answer on any topic. I admit it might be me. The old presentation of webpage hits suggested to me that google was not taking responsibility for the answers themselves, only for "search results". The new presentation is that Google is making it appear this are official answers. I know somewhere in the fine print Google will claim no responsibility but the presentation suggests they are.
I'm actually worried about the similar issues with Google search results at the moment.
2 examples.
1) The new suggested answers on search results. As an example search for "is salt bad for you". The top results might be correct though I've seen other searched that I believe aren't (different searches). Under that is this new "People Also Ask" section listing all kinds of questions, each with a single answer. AFAIK the answers are just whatever Google's algorithms decided are the most popular. Given there is one answer for each question (and the one answer to the original search at the top), it all comes across as authoritative answers. I think if you try various search terms you'll quickly find lots of examples you vehemently disagree with the answers google is presenting.
I don't know why the previous style of results felt better but something about the previous style (the style below the "People Also Ask" section came across as "here's semi random answers from unknown sources so be aware" where as to me at least, the new top answers above that all come across as authoritative and that scares the crap out of me.
2) Basically the same issue but if you search for "<some phrase> in <some language>" google will give you one answer and in this case they will often claim "Community Verified" yet they are often flat wrong. Often the phrase is ambiguous so there can be no "one true answer" without more context and yet google presents the results as "this is the one true answer because it's community verified". This basically proves my point for #1 above. That fact that google shows these questions with just one answer seems like pure thought manipulation.
I think I mostly want Google to help me find things. If I search for "windows" I'm 99% more likely to be looking for Microsoft Windows where as some carpenter or interior decorator is probably looking for glass windows.
This new issue is google claiming to tell me the right answer about any topic and it's really Google's AI claiming to know the answer on any topic. I admit it might be me. The old presentation of webpage hits suggested to me that google was not taking responsibility for the answers themselves, only for "search results". The new presentation is that Google is making it appear this are official answers. I know somewhere in the fine print Google will claim no responsibility but the presentation suggests they are.