What makes a good search engine? These 4 models can help you use search in the age of AI

The article discusses the impact of search engines and large language models (LLMs) on information retrieval. It highlights how search tools can both educate and mislead users while introducing new AI features in commercial search engines. The piece categorizes search tools into four models—Customer Servant, Librarian, Journalist, and Teacher—to illustrate different approaches to information retrieval. This classification reflects how search tools can serve user needs, interpret queries, and enhance relevance, raising important questions about what constitutes a good search engine.

"The search model we call Customer Servant is somewhat like the first computer-aided information retrieval systems introduced in the 1950s."

"AI-enhanced search is marketed as convenient, but it raises the question: what is a good search engine?"

Read at The Conversation