A Friendly Conversation
When the internet first arose, and companies like Google were founded, we had access to information like never before. However, we had obviously never experienced anything like this before, meaning there were no precedents on how to search the internet and what questions to type into Google. Naturally we devloped our own lagnauge and communication style with search engines and it has only continued to get more and more realistic. Especially with the introduction of AI, search engines have almost become real conversations.
It all began in 1998 with the foundation of Google. Individuals, for the first time ever, could ask any question and get an immediate answer. It began very nonchalant. People would search news, and historical events, or just ask simple questions. It was like reading a book, but instead the book had all the information in the world. However, I feel this way of looking at it got away from us very quickly.
While we still see the internet has a place where we can find any answers we need, we also treat it almost as a friend or personality. Especially with the introduction of AI and Chat GBT we have began to view these search engines in a whole new light. We are no longer simple typing in questions and waiting for results, but instead have a conversation.
Within a comment I noted in Jone and Hafner Chapter 2, I stated how we have gotten to the point with search engines where most people, myself included, even end our questions with the word ‘please’, or say ‘thank you’ after we have received our answer. These are no longer just tools for information, but an individual that we view as a personality and communicate with.
The question I ask myself from all of this is where we are going. In such a short period of time we as people went from asking these search engines basic questions, to having full blown conversations. So whats next? At what point do these search engines start to look like people and not just act like them? Right now we view AI as a friendly conversation or exchange of information, but who are we to say these conversations may turn into something much more in the very near future.
