Searching on Google has, for over two decades, consisted of resorting to a list of different information sources, arranged according to SEO and advertising criteria. In March, the most used Internet search engine in Spain integrated the “AI-generated display”: a summary generated by Gemini, an artificial intelligence developed by the same company, which responds directly to the query and precedes the list of all other links.
This change created a new relationship with knowledge. If Google is an intermediary that provides possible answers through information sources, then the innovation of this search engine gives priority to one result, which is often partial but formulated in the form of a final answer. By Jorge Carreon, author membrane (Galaxia Gutenberg, 2021) Los electromagnetic fields (Caja Negra, 2023), modernity simplifies the digital ecosystem: “We have moved from a multiplicity of possible responses to the simulation of a single response, from polytheism to the survival of monotheism. This can clearly be dangerous.”
Carrion (Tarragona, 49) recalls that 25 years ago, Google changed the way we deal with information. The company began requesting links according to its own criteria and different from the library’s criteria: “Google offers links according to criteria that can be more or less noble, but at least there was a diversity of answers.”
Some, more worryingly, believe that the use of artificial intelligence is degrading critical thinking. One of them is the Italian philosopher Franco steak Berardi. Even with the summary, “Gaining time,” he consolidated ideas: “The exploitation of the network by artificial intelligence is destroying the Internet. It is a new leap towards full consent for these searches, but also knowledge and, ultimately, the human brain,” he responds via email. The argument, taken from an article written by programmer Paul Graham, states that if more younger generations continue to learn and write through chatbots, they will stop thinking, because there is no logical, critical and individual thinking without writing. “What’s disappearing are just online searches; human thought is disappearing,” he says.
This is similar to the position of Eric Sadin, the French philosopher who analyzes the problems of technology and generative artificial intelligence. On Spectral life (Caja Negra, 2024), he doubts the decision-making power that chatbots emulate for individuals: “In reality, these wizards have the sole purpose of being those who gravitate toward our behavior,” he writes. From his answers, according to him, artificial intelligence influences the actions of humans by imposing viewpoints that control them.
I don’t know how clear Google’s answer to Gemini is. According to a study by the Pew Research Center, this happens when searches are longer or are phrased in the form of questions. The same studio also measured the impact of this tool in the digital world. When a search engine displays Gemini Summary, in 92% of cases, users abandon Google without visiting any page. This phenomenon is known as “no-click searches.” However, in searches that do not provide a summary, clicks on links are repeated. Sameweb, a software development company, gave similar diagnostics and warned of the dangers of media traffic.
Google version is not available. It has been confirmed that since the existence of AI display, the traffic on web pages has remained stable, and even increased “quality” searches. It does not provide specific numbers or explain which searches are displayed or in the summary. But Gemini contradicts the company itself that created it: when asked about traffic due to the presence of the AI-generated offer, it says that link clicks are diminishing. For lawyer Anabel Arias, the concern of companies and communications is reasonable: “If they are displayed with IA, they summarize the results found on the network, preventing people from clicking on other sites.”
European legislation requires search engines to be transparent about how they rank results. But it’s not clear, in Google’s case, whether Gemini considers itself part of the search engine. If so, you must disclose the criteria you choose, and ignore the sources on which you base your answers, which remain unknown as yet.
Despite the lack of transparency, the tool is efficient, and the results are clearly valid. This idea is shared by Nayef Al-Roudhan, a Saudi philosopher and neuroscientist, who says via email that it “saves time and mental effort in careful consultations.” For him, incorporating Gemini is a relevant change and gains a lot in quick and understandable responses. Cristina Aranda (Madrid, 49 years old) also shows positive results. Linguist, philologist, and author future life (Aguilar, 2024), I think it’s useful if you’re looking to get a general idea of something. As the speakers explained, AI uses Paul Grice’s principle of cooperation, which states that the premise of all communications must be understood.
Artificial intelligence itself relies so much on this principle that it becomes complacent and, in the extreme, can even go so far as to invent a response: “Because this is essential, the critical spirit and access to famous sources when there is a lack of depth. But if it becomes easy at first, my cognitive effort will be less. Man is ambiguous,” Aranda sums up. Al-Roudhan, who calls for the adoption of this technology, also highlights the importance of advocacy, and the potential mental power that arises from its use in critical work. That’s why the Gemini brief that includes Google is based on the same principle of simplicity that has become a tenet of web design: Don’t make me think.
But there are ideological and cultural conditions that allow us to place confidence in the vision created using artificial intelligence. Speed, one of its successes, is considered a value in the logic of capital. “The fundamental value of capitalist society is the accumulation of value,” says Berardi (Bologna, 76). “Value production is growing exponentially, and the use of chatbots is accelerating the research process. However, thinking, awareness and sensitivity must go away for the capital raising cycle to accelerate.”
Carrion’s adventure for religious reasons. Behind five acronyms of humanism, we could be witnessing an era of greater connections with faith in a monotheistic world. He finds a parallel in the construction of contemporary political ideologies: “It is easier to believe that all problems come from immigration than to analyze that the causes of problems are multiple.”
But the glory of Gemini will not be eternal. The European Commission project seeks to reduce the power imbalance between search engines and users, reducing complex designs and blocked access. Anabel Arias gives an example: “If a user wants to disable Gemini from using their searches and opinions to enter, they have to go through countless clicks and management. It’s designed so that the user gives in.” Carrión tends to believe that the models will remain the same in music. Since vinyl syncs with Spotify, unique response and versatility will coexist.
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