Google I/O Hoedown: 2013, 2014, or 2016 – It Matters Little. The Industry Divided Over AI.
The search industry is having a midlife crisis, but it’s glorious. AI didn’t kill search; instead, it might have brought it back to life. This year’s coverage reads like AI-generated summaries, but the truth lies in Google’s humble beginnings.
Larry Page and Sergey Brin showed up at I/O in 2013 with no fancy credentials, just a problem to solve. Their drive was about finding a solution, not polish. Fast forward to today, and some struggle to accept change, while others see an opportunity.
The paid search model is often criticized for being outdated, but this isn’t single auction bidding anymore. In the era of layered, behavioral search, performance should be earned, not bought. This shift is what AI’s current state can bring about – less noise, more value, and genuine results.
SEM (Search Engine Advertising) has its own set of challenges, with some overemphasizing AI’s impact and others clinging to the past. Meanwhile, a small influencer delivered an honest review that convinced a writer to buy seven pairs of pants – a testament to the power of human connection in search.
The original idea – that the most valuable voice wins – is being revived. The loudest, richest, or most frequent are no longer the only voices heard. This midlife crisis might be just the beginning of search as it should have been: cleaner, more relevant, and less focused on selling a wheel when fixing the flat tire remains elusive.
Source: https://searchengineland.com/search-midlife-crisis-456074