this post was submitted on 05 Mar 2025
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Google has become so integral to online navigation that its name became a verb, meaning "to find things on the Internet." Soon, Google might just tell you what's on the Internet instead of showing you. The company has announced an expansion of its AI search features, powered by Gemini 2.0. Everyone will soon see more AI Overviews at the top of the results page, but Google is also testing a more substantial change in the form of AI Mode. This version of Google won't show you the 10 blue links at all—Gemini completely takes over the results in AI Mode.

This marks the debut of Gemini 2.0 in Google search. Google announced the first Gemini 2.0 models in December 2024, beginning with the streamlined Gemini 2.0 Flash. The heavier versions of Gemini 2.0 are still in testing, but Google says it has tuned AI Overviews with this model to offer help with harder questions in the areas of math, coding, and multimodal queries.

With this update, you will begin seeing AI Overviews on more results pages, and minors with Google accounts will see AI results for the first time. In fact, even logged out users will see AI Overviews soon. This is a big change, but it's only the start of Google's plans for AI search.

Gemini 2.0 also powers the new AI Mode for search. It's launching as an opt-in feature via Google's Search Labs, offering a totally new alternative to search as we know it. This custom version of the Gemini large language model (LLM) skips the standard web links that have been part of every Google search thus far.

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[–] [email protected] 26 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

Hmm, in theory I don't have a problem with an AI telling me the answer to my question or whatever I'm searching for - but this isn't a web search. If I'm actually searching for a particular page or context, then I want to be able to do that.

These are two entirely different things, and if Google goes down this route they aren't a search engine anymore - they are an LLM provider.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

Couldn't agree more. I use both tools as they have their place, but when I want a search engine, I don't want to get an AI answer for the result. Like if I'm searching for documentation on something, what benefit would the AI provide me over just giving the link?

[–] SpaceNoodle 13 points 15 hours ago

Yes, the problem is that the place for LLM "search results" is the garbage can.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 13 hours ago (4 children)

Is there any escape from shitty AI slop in my search results?

What search engines are there that I can use that arent a proxy for one of the big ones? And yes I know about Kagi, I’d prefer open source if possible.

[–] IMALlama 7 points 12 hours ago

Moving from enshitified closed source to a different closed source that's trying to position itself as user first isn't necessarily bad.

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[–] dual_sport_dork 16 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago) (1 children)

The model uses "advanced reasoning, thinking, and multimodal capabilities"...

Well, LLM's are incapable of actually doing the first two, so we're already off to a great start.

I don't think it's much in the way of hyperbole to say that if they make this the default or worse, only search output option then this will be the thing that literally destroys the company.

No one except idiotic boardroom denizens actually wants this. Google failing to provide actual search results is the singular one and only thing that could actually get users to switch away from using it -- and not do that thing where they just grumble and bitch and moan but keep using it anyway. And if no one is searching on Google then nobody is seeing ads on Google, which means Google will not be selling ads.

I will laugh so hard if this happens.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Sadly, I've seen how much the average non-tech enthusiast LOVES all this AI stuff. Like, people's parents/grandparents who only occasionally use a computer when they have to. The types of folks who will call tech support and actually need the answer, "Is your computer powered on?" And there are far more people out there like that than many tech folks think. That's the market that keeps powering this stuff.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

Somehow, a huge amount of people hate thinking. Like it's painful or like exertion or something. Anything that can just give them what they want is better.

It doesn't matter if it's right or wrong. They just want an answer. They don't want to know why, or how, they want to know now.

It's the shortcut to knowledge all the ancient parables warned us about. Instead of physically destroying your mind, it stops it from working at all.

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[–] NarrativeBear 12 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago)

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 15 hours ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 4 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

DuckDuckGo is pretty easy to switch to. You can go to settings and disable AI chat in it.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago)

Ew, it is still on by default :( Unless you set your browser to save site data for this site, you would still see the AI :( Fortunately, the Javascriptless version has no such pest.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 14 hours ago

Considering how often Google's AI hallucinates some garbage for an answer this is going to be terrible

[–] singletona 11 points 14 hours ago

When I use a web search tool I want to look at the websites themselves. Not having to go through Gemini (the AI not the protocol) telling me what IT thinks I want...

Assuming AGI ever develops and bothers to sift through data. I've no problem with AI as a tool (that is, Dumb AI like we currently have.)

When I'm doing a web search rather than actually calling up Gemini (The AI not the Protocol) I want a WEB SEARCH... that means I am not looking to use AI. I'm wanting to use OI (Organic Intelligence.)

[–] [email protected] 5 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

Do people still use google? I haven't touched it for yonks now. Except GRIS, that still works well.

[–] Lemminary 3 points 13 hours ago

Not the search but I'm still stuck with the email. :/

[–] [email protected] 5 points 13 hours ago

Of all the sources of truth, why pick auto-complete?

[–] cyd 4 points 14 hours ago

Google search results are so terrible that at this point it's a mercy.

[–] ShittyBeatlesFCPres 4 points 14 hours ago

Alphabet/Google needs to fire their CEO. He’s an obvious idiot, not good with employees, not good with investors, and not good at lobbying. That’s like 99% of a CEO’s job. Just get rid of him and Google’s stock price will probably jump 20%.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 14 hours ago (2 children)

Is DuckDuckGo still the best alternative at this point, or has Bing been toiling away in the dark to improve itself?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

DDG uses Bing under the hood for the main results, so it doesn't really matter too much in terms of results.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago)

You can also use Ecosia, if your prefer a different shade of lipstick on your ~~pig~~ search results.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

I noticed Edge would only show me corporate/authority friendly results recently as well oddly cutting down the number of results I see to a very unnaturally short amount of results.

Deleting it and moving to DuckDuckGo which while the corporate friendly things were still at the top, it at least showed me some opposition results.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 hours ago

Guessing Edge by default sent you to Bing, no surprise the DDG results look similar, given that they use Bing under he hood. They shuffle rankings slightly, but it's the same index.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 14 hours ago

I’m so glad I switched to Kagi. The writing was on the wall once they started rolling out the AI suggestions wide.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 14 hours ago

i haven't used Google for search in years. duck duck go ftw

[–] [email protected] 4 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

I didn't expect this. You mean it doesn't have ads? All I tend to get for hits on Google are paid search results anyway. Surely they'll soon bring some ad links into these results.

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[–] blazeknave 1 points 13 hours ago

And we still pay the vig to AdWords or does all my money go to LinkedIn now?

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