Google, famous for its internet search engine, has always been synonymous with the World Wide Web, even make the term “Googling” as a verb for online searching. Despite its significant wealth amassed from the web, Google recently made a notable change. In its next-generation homepage design, revealed at the annual I/O developer conference, Google has moved its search feature to a less prominent position, now located within a submenu. This shift signifies a departure from its previous dominance on the homepage, showcasing a strategic redesign aimed at enhancing user experience and perhaps reflecting evolving trends in internet usage.

Searching nowadays delivers a blend of content in special pull-out boxes, apps, and features, some of it generated by AI. The days of straightforward lists of links are over — if you want to access traditional web pages, the tech giant now provides a “new ‘Web’ filter” to refine your search results. This shift may surprise Generation Xers, whose first encounters with the online world were through web browsers, but the web has become a legacy format, akin to the DVD.

Google is currently constructing a significant barrier between users and the information they seek by employing Generative AI to generate what it deems more useful results, such as concise summaries. This approach, referred to by Google’s former research director Meredith Whittaker as “derivative content paste,” introduces a host of problems. The content produced by this AI may not accurately reflect the original sources, often containing errors and “hallucinations,” where the AI generates information that is entirely fabricated or incorrect.

This barrier fundamentally changes how information is accessed and consumed. Instead of directly linking to original sources, users are presented with AI-generated summaries that may or may not be reliable. This not only creates a trust issue but also distances users from the rich context and depth provided by the original material.

Moreover, this new system effectively removes the creators of original content from the value chain. Journalists, researchers, and other content creators see their work being repackaged by AI without proper credit or compensation, undermining the ecosystem that supports high-quality content creation.

The idealistic visions of web utopians, who once promised an exciting, interconnected world where information flowed freely and creators thrived, are now fading. Instead, we are moving towards a blander, more homogenized digital landscape where original voices and detailed, nuanced content are increasingly marginalized by algorithmically generated summaries. This shift not only diminishes the richness of the information landscape but also threatens the sustainability of content creation as a profession.