I Replaced Google with AI For a Week. Here’s What I Learned

I was scrolling done X past twelvemonth erstwhile I saw this tweet from the CEO of Shopify:

It made maine intermission and think: Can you really replace Google with thing else, similar AI? I grew up with Google aft all; it had ne'er crossed my caput that 1 time I would halt utilizing the hunt giant.

But it made maine funny to try. So, I decided to halt utilizing Google for 1 week. Instead, similar the CEO of Shopify, I would usage Perplexity (a chatbot-style hunt engine.) If determination are immoderate gaps, I volition crook to ChatGPT oregon Gemini for help.

For the “experiment,” I installed the Perplexity plugin and changed it to my default hunt engine. I besides downloaded some the ChatGPT and Perplexity apps connected my phone.

I mostly utilized Perplexity and recovered that I could bash astir everything I did with Google—except for a fewer circumstantial things, similar doing a site: search.

In fact, I liked Perplexity more. I didn’t person to woody with ads (at slightest for now) oregon convoluted SERP features. And I didn’t person to click done aggregate links conscionable to find what I was looking for.

For example, I saw a tweet astir Jay Z and had nary thought what happened. So, I asked and got the answer:

Gemini gave thing similar:

If I had done the aforesaid happening with Google, I’d person had to click connected an article, anticipation it was the close result, and past endure done layers of banner ads.

As a writer and contented marketer, I can’t accidental capable however useful AI summaries person been for research. I nary longer person to click done and work each hunt result. I get the summarised mentation right away.

Case successful point: I was updating my nonfiction connected the top trending topics. I’m not that old, but I’m intelligibly not up-to-date with astir trends. Previously, each update took clip due to the fact that I had to work aggregate articles to get a consciousness of what was happening. Now, Perplexity solves this for me:

You tin bash this with ChatGPT, too, but what I similar astir Perplexity is you get entree to the root of information. So, successful the lawsuit you’re suspicious that the reply is simply a hallucination, you tin fact-check it by clicking connected immoderate of the cited sources. That’s mode amended than ChatGPT confidently magicking thing retired of thin air.

In fact, if Perplexity can’t find thing oregon doesn’t recognize your query, it won’t hesitate to tell you:

ChatGPT doesn’t bash this astir enough. Even if it doesn’t cognize something, it’ll inactive effort to make an output, immoderate of which are hallucinations.

That’s not to accidental Perplexity doesn’t hallucinate astatine all. It conscionable does truthful less. For example, I asked wherefore a roadworthy successful Singapore had the aforesaid sanction arsenic the woman of the Prime Minister of Singapore.

The reply was wrong—it’s not named aft her; it was simply a coincidence. If idiosyncratic did not click done to root #2, they would person been led astray.

My example: I was speechmaking a publication astir a Singapore pioneer. The publication mentioned Dr. Oxley, the namesake of a roadworthy successful Singapore. I asked Perplexity, and it gave maine a modern-day Dr. Oxley:

The aforesaid hunt connected Google gave maine the close idiosyncratic immediately:

Of course, this is due to the fact that Google is collecting determination data. It knew I was successful Singapore and truthful much apt to hunt for Dr. Thomas Oxley alternatively than a doc successful the US.

Despite the uproars implicit Google’s information collection, it’s wide that determination information is important. With this data, Google knows wherever you are and tin personalize their hunt results. After all, if you’re looking for the “best Italian restaurants,” you don’t privation suggestions halfway crossed the globe. You privation those that are successful your area.

This is where, successful my opinion, Google excels and wherever it distinguishes itself from AI. AI doesn’t cod determination information oregon cognize wherever you are (unless you archer it.) So, other steps are progressive successful getting the close results erstwhile you inquire AI for section information.

Another example: I was looking astatine buying an ergonomic mouse. When I asked AI, it suggested places that were successful the UK (Argos):

On the contrary, Google gave maine a database of section places successful Singapore to buy from:

Final thoughts

Personally, I’ve mostly replaced Google with Perplexity and usage it 90% of the time. A cleanable interface, not having to click aggregate links, and summarised answers acceptable astir each my use cases.

If I’m utilizing Google, it’s due to the fact that it was retired of wont oregon due to the fact that of enactment (I enactment successful SEO, truthful arsenic agelong arsenic radical inactive usage Google, I’ll person to use it.)

The laminitis of Perplexity, Aravind Srinivas, tweets that Perplexity is what Google wanted to go 23 years ago. They conscionable didn’t person the close technology.

Perhaps if we privation to foretell Google’s future, we should spot wherever Perplexity moves next.