Are AI-Generated Answers the Next Evolution of Google Search?

A recent article reminded us of the time Google launched an “answers” service 20 years ago, which was meant to behave like a Q&A with a Google staffer but was promptly retired. Apparently, Google’s CEO Larry Page went on the record decades ago saying, “Google will fulfill its mission only when its search engine is AI-complete.”

In some alternate reality, could we assume that Google search was never built to result in the search engine results page as we know it but was instead on track to become an AI-powered ‘answers’ service from its inception?

The question feels timely, as Google currently answers questions in a box above its methodically sequenced list of links. The strategy that has undergirded this shift reflects the same vision that is now poised to integrate AI into Google’s search engine. This shift may be profound for businesses that have spent years optimizing keywords, generating content marketing, creating backlinks, optimizing their load times, and many more SEO-specific tactics.

Will Google switch to an answers-only version of Search? It is likely too early to say – however, if this new paradigm takes hold, the websites that succeed will be the ones that offer clear, accessible information and go the extra mile to enhance scannable content that is easy for algorithms to understand. If your business wants a firmer grasp of how to stay SEO-relevant in this era of accelerated change, partner with ASTRALCOM and lean on our decades of SEO experience.