I remember a long long time ago when Radio Shack was still around and wasn't the laughing stock of the retail industry, they had a slogan. "You've Got Questions, We've Got Answers". It was a pretty catchy tag line, and back in the day, it was actually pretty accurate. I was reminiscing with someone the other day about how we used to have to read books about every single part and product in the store, and then we would have to take tests to be certified in the individual sections.
Like telephones, home audio, car audio. electronic components, CB Radio, television antennas, etc. That way, if someone came in the store, we honestly had a pretty good answer for them. Of course, this was back before the Internet, so knowledge like that had a bit more of a gatekeeper aspect to it. It actually worked pretty well for the store until they decided to shift 90% of their focus into cellular phones, and then the bottom fell out.
This post isn't about Radio Shack though.
Instead, it's about that technology we all love to hate... AI. I attended a conference at the very end of October, and one of the first sessions I attended was all about different AI products or tools that are out there. The presenter did a really good job of analyzing each product or site and giving his estimation as to whether it was bogus, legit, or maybe on the fringe. He actually based a lot of his presentation on a book called AI Snakeoil or something like that.
In the course of the presentation, he had certain break out sessions where people would talk to each other about different aspects of the subject. I actually hate presentations like this because first off, I'm just not good at talking to people. Second, it gets so loud in the room with everyone talking that (especially with my ADHD), I can't understand a single thing the person sitting right next to me is saying.
After each discussion section, the presenter would have a couple people talk about one interesting thing that was discussed in their small group. One of the attendees mentioned how their group was talking about the Google Gemini search results that many of us are seeing these days. It was actually probably one of the most interesting things I picked up from the conference and I am going to share it with you today.
It was so interesting, that I immediately put it down in my Google Keep notes because I knew I was going to write a post about it at some point in the future.
Did you know that when you go do a Google search and you get the Gemini AI summary at the top of the page, it is only giving you a summary of the sites that are found on the first page of your search results. Now, think back to the last Google search you did. Were you able to click on the first site it gave you and get the information you wanted?
There lies the problem. With over 50% of the first page of results when you do a search being advertising or sponsored content, what kind of accurate or unbiased information are you actually getting from that Gemini summary? It's actually kind of scary to think about. I know myself I am guilty of just taking the info that Gemini gave me and running with it.
Don't get me wrong, 80% of the time it might be accurate, but you still have to stop for a second and consider who or what you are allowing yourself to accept as fact.
Sadly, I don't really see anything changing. Google has built a huge business on advertising and those sponsored links. I doubt it is going away any time soon. Additionally, people are more and more favoring convenience over accuracy, so likely this is probably the new normal.
Just keep this in mind next time you do a Google search and see that Gemini AI summary at the top of the page. What truth are you being sold?
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