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🇩🇰 Denmark /Technology

Next week the internet changes significantly – we might 'end up being a kind of AI potatoes'

From Berlingske · () Danish

Translated from Danish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Google's search interface is set to undergo a fundamental transformation next week with the integration of artificial intelligence.
  • This AI-powered search will move beyond simple link lists to offer conversational queries and direct answers, resembling AI chatbots.
  • The change is predicted to be a paradigm shift, potentially leading to the decline of the "open internet" as users receive summarized information directly from Google.

The internet as we know it is on the cusp of a significant change, with Google's search engine preparing for a major overhaul next week. For 25 years, the familiar, slender search bar has been our gateway to an endless list of blue links, allowing us to explore various sources for information. This era is drawing to a close.

Ultimately, we might end up being a kind of AI potatoes, because it (Google's new search function) can do everything for us.

· Preben MejerInternet pioneer Preben Mejer on the potential impact of Google's new AI search function.

Internet pioneer Preben Mejer describes the upcoming changes as a "paradigm shift" in how we interact with technology. He predicts that the new AI-driven search function will become so capable of performing tasks for users that we might "end up being a kind of AI potatoes." This signifies a move away from tool-based interaction to a more automated, AI-assisted experience.

This will be a paradigm shift in the way we use IT.

· Preben MejerDescribing the magnitude of the upcoming changes to Google search.

The implications for websites that have relied on Google traffic are substantial. Mejer warns that this could mark the "death of the open internet." Instead of users clicking through to various websites, the new AI search will provide concise summaries, potentially reducing the need for users to visit external sources. This consolidation of information within Google's ecosystem raises concerns about the future accessibility and diversity of online content.

For 40 years, we have had tools available that we have worked with to perform tasks. This is no longer tool-based, but something else entirely. The new AI will both work for us and perform tasks for us.

· Preben MejerExplaining the fundamental shift from tool-based computing to AI-driven assistance.

Beyond the search bar, Google is also collaborating with eyewear companies to launch smart glasses equipped with cameras, microphones, and speakers. These glasses will allow users to interact with Google's AI, Gemini, by asking questions about their surroundings, further blurring the lines between the digital and physical worlds. This evolution suggests a future where AI is seamlessly integrated into our daily lives, prompting both excitement and apprehension about the profound societal and technological shifts ahead.

The new AI function takes over everything you used to have to do yourself, and instead gives you a short summary.

· Preben MejerDetailing how the AI search will provide summarized information directly to users.
About this summary

Originally published by Berlingske in Danish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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