In a world where artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming more and more an integral part of our daily lives, a disturbing what-if scenario is emerging. Could generative AI, when used in search engines, threaten online content creation and ultimately your own learning pipeline?
Generative AI is a branch of artificial intelligence that focuses on creating new content. It uses vast amounts of information, often from the Internet, to learn how to generate text, images, music, and more. However, generative AI does not create new or innovative information, it simply generates content based on the data it has been fed with.
the hypothetical paradox
Search Engines and Generative AI
Let’s imagine for a moment that search engines like Google and Bing start using generative AI to display search results. Instead of linking users to external web pages, the information would be generated internally, providing the user with the answer to their query directly on the search platform.
Impact on content creators
In this scenario, news websites, blogs, and any other online content creators could experience a significant drop in web traffic. Without a steady stream of visitors to their pages, these creators may be discouraged from continuing to produce content, which in turn could lead to a decrease in the creation of new and relevant content on the internet.
How does it affect Generative AI?
Generative AI relies on fresh, current data to learn and generate relevant content. If search engines divert traffic away from web pages, thus reducing the creation of new content, AI models could be limited to existing and old data. This could lead to a decrease in the quality and relevance of AI-generated content.
Important considerations
Motivations for content creation
It is important to remember that web traffic is not the only incentive for content creation. Journalists, bloggers and writers also create content to share information, express opinions and contribute to social and political discussions, although it is clear that there is an important business model behind it that usually always depends on the number of visits received.
Legal and ethical aspects
A search engine that generates all of its content in-house could face legal and ethical issues. Copyright, proper attribution, and privacy are issues that would need to be addressed.
Adaptation of business models
Throughout history, companies and individuals have shown an impressive ability to adapt to technological changes. If this scenario were to come true, we could see the emergence of new business models.
Final thoughts
This scenario forces us to consider the implications of the evolution of technology and how it can change the dynamics of our society. The interdependence between AI and content creators resembles a technological symbiosis, but it raises the question of what happens when one of these actors changes the rules of the game.
The dilemma reminds us of the responsibility we have when developing and deploying new technologies. While AI has the potential to revolutionize many areas of our lives, we must carefully consider the potential consequences and work to minimize any negative impact.
The paradox raised here invites us to reflect on the nature of content creation and the importance of maintaining a healthy digital ecosystem. Advances in AI technology must be balanced with the need to preserve and foster the diversity and quality of online content.
This may require finding a compromise between content generation by search engines and promotion from external sources. It could also involve exploring new business models that recognize and reward original content creation, even in an increasingly AI-dominated world.
Beyond the paradox, the proposed scenario highlights a fundamental reality: AI, in all its forms, is not and should not be an isolated entity. As a human creation, it is deeply intertwined with our societies and our economies, and its evolution must be guided with consideration and care to ensure a future in which technology and humanity can flourish together.
