Google is commonly used as a verb meaning searching the internet for information. The question arises whether Google can still be called a search engine if an AI agent performs searching proactively, without telling the user. Search is changing as AI becomes more integrated into how information is found and delivered. Google’s confidence in its role within the AI ecosystem is tied to these shifts. The future of the web is questioned as search behavior moves away from user-driven querying toward automated, agent-like discovery. The episode also covers broader corporate and tech news alongside these themes.
"Google is many things, but most of the time it's a verb: It is what it is to search the internet for information. But what if it's an AI agent doing the searching? And it's doing it proactively? Without even telling you about it? In the world Google imagines, in which so much of the actual googling happens without your prompting, involvement, or even knowledge, can you even call Google a search engine anymore?"
"Nilay and David discuss all the ways search is changing, why Google seems so confident in its place in the AI ecosystem, and what this all means for the future of the web. And, frankly, whether the web even still has a future."
"There's the corporate news - which really boils down to "nothing that matters is changing" - and there's some exciting podcast news. The Vergecast is going daily! Starting June 1st, we'll be in your feeds five days a week."
Read at The Verge
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