I’ve been asking ChatGPT for advice about our new puppy: crate or no crate, potty-training tips, etc. The answers prepared me well before he arrived.
Not once did I click a link or visit a pet-care website. ChatGPT didn’t share sources; everything happened inside the chat.
Welcome to the era of AI answer engines. They give you information directly instead of sending you out to the web. They still rely on the web for data and accuracy, but they send far less credit — and traffic — back to original sources.
Before ChatGPT launched in late 2022, I would have Googled puppy advice. I’d see a summarized answer at the top (and plenty of ads), but also a long list of links to sites I’d visit for detailed guidance. Those sites would get traffic and perhaps ad revenue, a subscription, or a purchase — funding the reporting and research behind the information.
That “grand bargain” is dead. It’s far easier to ask a chatbot and get instant answers. Google is doing this a lot more now, too, chasing ChatGPT’s lead.
The result is a dramatic drain on the information economy that built the modern web. Consider The Washington Post, which cut at least a third of its newsroom this month. Jeff Bezos drew blame, but the real culprit, to me, is the rise of AI answer engines.
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