Why Google's Monopoly in Online Search Is Under More Threat Than Ever ?

© Unsplash/Firmbee.com

Google reigns supreme on the search engine market for over a decade. Travel, movies, recipes, historical facts, current events… Search has established itself as the go-to reference for finding any information, allowing its parent company, Alphabet, to 'reap huge profits. But it is clear that this dominance is slowly crumbling in favor of new solutions.

The ChatGPT revolution

And of course, the first one that comes to mind is called ChatGPT. Google understood this well: when the conversational agent was launched at the end of 2022, management declared a state of alert, forcing its teams to work hard on a competing solution. The close link between OpenAI and Microsoft only made the situation worse, as Google became aware of the possibilities offered by access to the startup's artificial intelligence (AI).

The Mountain View firm was not mistaken. Thanks to investments exceeding $11 billion, Microsoft got its hands on OpenAI's major language models. It integrated them into its own products, including Bing, its search engine that is much less popular than Search.

Other conversational agents, like Claude d’Anthropic, have since taken the web by storm. Fortunately for Google, the free versions of these tools are not directly connected to the Internet. They are still used for queries that were previously reserved for Google Search, such as questions about works, recipes or translations.

Faced with this trend, Google rushed to develop its own alternative in the spring of 2023. This was the birth of Bard, now Gemini. AI has had a rocky start, with many pointing out that it is performing below OpenAI or Microsoft, tarnishing the reputation of Google, which is nevertheless one of the leaders in the artificial intelligence sector.

Search engines boosted by AI

Gemini has improved drastically since then. Sensing the wind changing, Google integrated its AI into Search, offering textual answers generated from available sources, without requiring a click on an external link. However, the deployment of these innovative features is slow, because the stakes for the company are simply enormous.

It records astronomical profits thanks to the advertising broadcast on its search engine. Changing its design could harm it and displease advertisers. Also, Google is deliberately taking its time to launch AI in Search because of the massive use of the platform and the propensity of this technology to hallucinate. It wants, above all, to avoid controversy.

At the same time, newcomers in the AI ​​sector are moving forward at full speed. Several startups have launched into the search engine field, designing interfaces entirely powered by artificial intelligence. This is particularly the case for Perplexity, which has seen its number of users explode in recent months.

200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000

The principle is attractive: all you have to do is ask a question, and the platform will then write the answer, without the user having to do any additional research. In addition to providing its sources, it offers additional questions, offering the possibility of going into more depth on a subject if necessary.

OpenAI is also interested in this sector. The company has developed a prototype of a home-grown search engine, called SearchGPT, which will be entirely boosted by AI. Other platforms, like Consensus, are emerging. Rather than general search engines, they specialize in areas such as scientific research, offering new alternatives to users.

© Ascannio/Shutterstock.com

TikTok in ambush

Artificial intelligence isn’t the only danger looming over Google. One social network in particular is increasingly overshadowing the search engine: TikTok. Now one of the most widely used platforms in the world, the Chinese app is a hit with younger generations. So much so that many prefer it to Google for online searches.

According to a study by the analysis firm eMarketer, nearly 10% of Generation Z users now prefer TikTok to traditional search engines like Google. They go to the social network for news searches, but also recipes or jobs to do around the house. “ The growing use of TikTok for search signifies a fundamental change in the way people find information and engage with content. Its personalized approach, diversity of content and reliability fuel its rapid growth ,” notes eMarketer.

And if this was not the case until now, Meta could also come and tease Google. Mark Zuckerberg's firm has in fact deployed its Meta AI chatbot within its flagship applications (apart from in Europe), Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook. This methodology allows it to very quickly reach several billion users, who can formulate various requests to the AI.

A monopoly challenged by the courts

This multitude of solutions is appearing at a critical time for Google. The company has in fact just been found guilty of abusing its dominant position in the search engine sector, in a trial that pitted it against the American government. Although the sanction has not yet been pronounced, a dismantling of its activities is not excluded, which would be simply catastrophic for the web giant.

And even if justice does not go that far, it is likely that certain practices deemed monopolistic will be prohibited, leaving room for competition. Enough to greatly redistribute the cards. If Google remains the undisputed leader of search engines, its hegemony is increasingly contested, and the trend now seems to be working against it.

📍 To not miss any Presse-citron news, follow us on Google News and WhatsApp.

160.8 M reviews

[ ]