Oh wow sounds great, can I get in line now to not use it?
this post was submitted on 05 Mar 2025
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I don't really get Google's angle since it's pretty obvious that their AI search sucks. Maybe it's just to impress shareholders?
This makes sense to me. All other reasons presented sound like wishful thinking that google is still the same company from 2005
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Thanks Google, I hate it. At least the udm=14 trick and website still works, at least until google decides to stop supporting that feature. Definitely going to be using that more and more if this becomes the default google experience.
You can also use startpage. They use Google services without AI
Hmm, in theory I don't have a problem with an AI telling me the answer to my question or whatever I'm searching for - but this isn't a web search. If I'm actually searching for a particular page or context, then I want to be able to do that.
These are two entirely different things, and if Google goes down this route they aren't a search engine anymore - they are an LLM provider.
Couldn't agree more. I use both tools as they have their place, but when I want a search engine, I don't want to get an AI answer for the result. Like if I'm searching for documentation on something, what benefit would the AI provide me over just giving the link?
Yes, the problem is that the place for LLM "search results" is the garbage can.
The model uses "advanced reasoning, thinking, and multimodal capabilities"...
Well, LLM's are incapable of actually doing the first two, so we're already off to a great start.
I don't think it's much in the way of hyperbole to say that if they make this the default or worse, only search output option then this will be the thing that literally destroys the company.
No one except idiotic boardroom denizens actually wants this. Google failing to provide actual search results is the singular one and only thing that could actually get users to switch away from using it -- and not do that thing where they just grumble and bitch and moan but keep using it anyway. And if no one is searching on Google then nobody is seeing ads on Google, which means Google will not be selling ads.
I will laugh so hard if this happens.
Sadly, I've seen how much the average non-tech enthusiast LOVES all this AI stuff. Like, people's parents/grandparents who only occasionally use a computer when they have to. The types of folks who will call tech support and actually need the answer, "Is your computer powered on?" And there are far more people out there like that than many tech folks think. That's the market that keeps powering this stuff.
Somehow, a huge amount of people hate thinking. Like it's painful or like exertion or something. Anything that can just give them what they want is better.
It doesn't matter if it's right or wrong. They just want an answer. They don't want to know why, or how, they want to know now.
It's the shortcut to knowledge all the ancient parables warned us about. Instead of physically destroying your mind, it stops it from working at all.
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Is there any escape from shitty AI slop in my search results?
What search engines are there that I can use that arent a proxy for one of the big ones? And yes I know about Kagi, I’d prefer open source if possible.
Maybe something to use only for fun, but check out Marginalia. It’s open source and as far as I know, runs in the guy’s computer at his house. It deprioritizes commercial websites and boosts small blogs instead.
Every time I go there I find something genuinely interesting or cozy to read.
Moving from enshitified closed source to a different closed source that's trying to position itself as user first isn't necessarily bad.
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I hate this.
DuckDuckGo is pretty easy to switch to. You can go to settings and disable AI chat in it.
Ew, it is still on by default :( Unless you set your browser to save site data for this site, you would still see the AI :( Fortunately, the Javascriptless version has no such pest.
Considering how often Google's AI hallucinates some garbage for an answer this is going to be terrible
When I use a web search tool I want to look at the websites themselves. Not having to go through Gemini (the AI not the protocol) telling me what IT thinks I want...
Assuming AGI ever develops and bothers to sift through data. I've no problem with AI as a tool (that is, Dumb AI like we currently have.)
When I'm doing a web search rather than actually calling up Gemini (The AI not the Protocol) I want a WEB SEARCH... that means I am not looking to use AI. I'm wanting to use OI (Organic Intelligence.)
Of all the sources of truth, why pick auto-complete?
Do people still use google? I haven't touched it for yonks now. Except GRIS, that still works well.
Not the search but I'm still stuck with the email. :/
Google search results are so terrible that at this point it's a mercy.
Alphabet/Google needs to fire their CEO. He’s an obvious idiot, not good with employees, not good with investors, and not good at lobbying. That’s like 99% of a CEO’s job. Just get rid of him and Google’s stock price will probably jump 20%.
Is DuckDuckGo still the best alternative at this point, or has Bing been toiling away in the dark to improve itself?
In terms of result quality? In my opinion, based on my particular search habits:
Kagi > SearXNG > Brave > Startpage/Google > DDG/Ecosia/Bing
Everyone is going to have their own opinions on each of those companies, but from a results lens, that's what I find to be most/least effective.
DDG uses Bing under the hood for the main results, so it doesn't really matter too much in terms of results.
You can also use Ecosia, if your prefer a different shade of lipstick on your ~~pig~~ search results.
I noticed Edge would only show me corporate/authority friendly results recently as well oddly cutting down the number of results I see to a very unnaturally short amount of results.
Deleting it and moving to DuckDuckGo which while the corporate friendly things were still at the top, it at least showed me some opposition results.
Guessing Edge by default sent you to Bing, no surprise the DDG results look similar, given that they use Bing under he hood. They shuffle rankings slightly, but it's the same index.
I’m so glad I switched to Kagi. The writing was on the wall once they started rolling out the AI suggestions wide.
i haven't used Google for search in years. duck duck go ftw
I didn't expect this. You mean it doesn't have ads? All I tend to get for hits on Google are paid search results anyway. Surely they'll soon bring some ad links into these results.
Like all Google products, they will still make a halfhearted attempt to make it as useful as they can before absolutely destroying it with ads
And we still pay the vig to AdWords or does all my money go to LinkedIn now?