The use of AI assistants and AI tools is increasing day by day. The rate of casual users using AI assistants instead of search engines to answer their questions and conduct research is increasing daily. According to a PewResearch report, 58% of users use AI-generated summaries in addition to search engines. Although AI tools have not yet replaced search engines, they are already being used as a fast and effective way for casual users to access information. If you are wondering whether AI will replace search engines, we’ve got you covered!

In this article, we will examine whether AI search can replace search engines.

Ready?

Let’s dive in!

TL; DR

  • While AI tools generate direct answers to user inputs, search engines show links related to keywords.
  • The reason people prefer AI for answers is to save time and get answers quickly.
  • Although AI will not replace search engines, it will be used together with them to answer questions and for research.
  • To increase your brand’s traffic, you need to organize your content so that you are shown in AI-generated responses.
  • If you are looking for an AI assistant to support you in increasing your AI visibility, TextCortex is the solution for you.

AI vs. Search Engines

AI tools and search engines are two methods used to conduct research and access information. Search engines provide you with access to information by listing links to pages related to your keywords. This makes it easier for you to get lost among dozens of options. Moreover, since there are usually ads on websites, you have to deal with annoying pop-ups. Since search engines highlight results related to keyword clusters, the honesty of the content is secondary.

AI Search vs. Search Engine

AI tools generate output by understanding user intent and combining data from different websites to generate a compact response. Unlike search engines, AI tools allow you to access information directly, not links. In this respect, we can say that AI tools are an easier method to access basic information.

Why are People Turning to AI for Answers?

According to research, 58% of consumers now prefer Gen AI tools over traditional search engines for product and service recommendations. The main reason people turn to AI for answers is to save time. Traditional search engines give users pages containing links instead of providing direct information. In order to access information, you need to examine websites that also contain different information and find the information you are looking for. On the other hand, AI tools perform this process for you and allow you to directly access the information you are looking for. Thus, users can save time, access direct information, and reach personalized responses.

AI Search vs. Search Engine

Will AI Replace Search Engines?

AI replacing search engines is all about changing user trends and usage habits. Although users are using AI tools along with search engines, search engines maintain their leadership. Let’s take a closer look at this topic.

User Behavior Trends

How users search is deeply influenced by age, device, and expectation. If you need to do in-depth research and want to scan all the data, search engines are a good option. Users prefer search engines about the topics they want to get detailed information about.

However, when the topic shifts from “searching” to “asking,” users are choosing search engines over AI tools. AI tools are more suitable for answering questions because they generate conversational responses and provide direct information. The basis of this change is that AI tools understand user intent better. For example, when you ask a search engine a question, it directs you to websites related to keywords. If you ask an AI assistant like ZenoChat or ChatGPT a question, it gives you the answer directly.

Hybrid Search

Since most search engines develop their own LLM and AI assistants, it is possible to see AI-generated summaries in modern search engines. For example, when you use the Bing search engine, you can see that an answer generated by Copilot is at the top of the pages. Tools that offer both search engine results and AI summaries provide advantageous research for users. Since search engines and AI assistants are tools designed to make people's lives easier, hybrid use of the two may become widespread. That means, AI tools will help search engines rather than replace them.

Search Platforms

People no longer rely on a single platform for research and use different platforms in their daily lives that suit their purposes. The most commonly used search platforms include AI tools, search engines, YouTube, and other social media platforms. For example, when people are looking for a how-to or visual guides, they prefer social media platforms such as YouTube and Pinterest instead of search engines. On the other hand, when people need direct answers and want to access information quickly, they prefer AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, and ZenoChat.

What Does This Means for Marketers and Content Creators?

The fact that people use AI assistants for research, as well as search engines, makes it important for marketers and content creators to appear in AI-generated responses. After all, both search engines and AI responses are effective ways to drive traffic and increase brand awareness.

Adapting to AI-Driven Search

To increase the AI ​​visibility of your brand and content, you need to convert them for Artificial Intelligence Optimization (AIO) or Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). With this change, you can increase the visibility of your content and brand in the outputs of AI tools such as ChatGPT and Perplexity.

Create Valuable, Credible Content

In this era where AI tools working with large language models can generate content such as blog posts, social media posts, and FAQ pages from scratch in seconds, it is critical that your content is original and contains real information. AI tools generate output by repeating existing information and producing new information from it, but they do not contribute to the accumulation of knowledge. Having new and original information in your content will increase your visibility in both search engines and AI-generated responses.

SEO 2.0 (Search Everywhere Optimization)

The change in people's research habits and the emergence of new trends have caused SEO, which is used to increase visibility, to change and develop. SEO, which previously only covered search engines, now covers all search platforms, including AI tools, social media platforms and search engines. In this context, optimizing your content for all search platforms will increase your organic traffic gain.

Improve Your AI Visibility via TextCortex

Search isn't just happening on Google or search engines anymore. Your customers are asking ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot and more. You should ensure that your brand is visible to them.

TextCortex helps you improve the AI visibility of your brand and content with its multiple LLMs, web search, writing assistance, automation capabilities, powerful RAG, knowledge bases, and AI agents! What's more, TextCortex is available as a web application and browser extension that is integrated with 30,000+ websites and apps.

With TextCortex, you can generate SEO 2.0 (Search Everywhere Optimization) content or make your existing content SEO 2.0 compatible. TextCortex writing assistance feature is designed to help you make your content compatible with all search platforms.

AI Visibility Blog Post

Thanks to TextCortex's knowledge bases and AI agent features, you can quickly make all your content SEO 2.0 compatible. Simply upload your documents into the TextCortex knowledge base, and set AI agents to convert them to be compatible with all search engines.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is AI going to replace search engines?

AI-generated answers are effective for reaching information directly. However, AI can't replace search engines under current conditions. AI tools are one of the other options used to reach information besides search engines.

Is Google going to be replaced by AI?

While AI tools are a quick alternative to accessing information, they will not replace search engines like Google. Search engines like Google offer the use of both tools by adding AI-generated keywords to search results.

Will AI replace SEO?

Although SEO stands for search engine optimization, SEO 2.0 has changed to search everywhere optimization. Although SEO is still important for appearing at the top of search engine results, you need to optimize your content according to SEO 2.0 to appear on social media platforms and AI responses.