2025: The Year Of Search But Not The End Of Google

It might sound like a throwback to the 1990s, but technology has transformed the way we search for and interact with information—on the internet, in documents, and beyond. If past patterns hold true, then 2025 will be the year of Search. Will it be the end of Google. No, but the fight is on.

A Snapshot of Internet History

Back in the 1990s, people often said, “All the information is out there at the internet…we just need to find it.” That was the time of search engines. You might recall names like AltaVista (1995), Yahoo! Search (1994), Google (1998), Lycos (1994), WebCrawler (1994), Excite (1995)… – there are so many more. Even Disney tried its hand with Go (1998), hoping to blend search with entertainment.

New Technology – New Search: Large Language Models Build AI Search

Large language models are trained on vast amounts of text. The underlying innovation is the attention mechanism. Not every word is important and models learn to extract the key ideas for a given context. This ability and their ability to complete the next best word makes them excellent at summarization. In my eCornell certificate courses, for instance, I introduced the ability to “chat” articles so that students don’t need to read the full article.

Using LLMs creates a new opportunity how we can interact. The only question now is who will be the main company offering consume search?

Bye Bye Google?

Unsurprisingly, every major tech company—and many startups—are now racing to build or enhance AI-driven search. Google was late to the game, but their so called generative search experience is coming back quite strong. Microsoft – a long forgotten company here in the valley – has boosted Bing by integrating ChatGPT. Facebook (Meta) stocked up with Infrastructure and is developing their own search. Everyone is racing to claim the top spot. I get it. It’s a massive market and the payoff to replace Google will be rewarding.

Next to the existing players we see big many challengers. OpenAI went from being a search organization to becoming a full on consumer focues search comapny. You.com integrates a chat-based AI assistant (YouChat) to deliver direct answers alongside traditional results. Richard, the founder of You, who is one of the most inspring entrepreneurs here in the valley talked in my course. Here a 30s summary of his talk. You.com aims to redefine traditional search by incorporating tools and features that go beyond simple information retrieval, focusing instead on enhancing user productivity and collaboration. And then surely we have Perplexity that focused on citation-based answers. Users receive concise overviews with source links, which boosts credibility and user trust.

Many Startups Coming to AI based Search

Additionally there are many startups. Over the last 12 months I stoped counting the number of founders who told me that they are going to “kill Google.” Here are two note-worthy ones: Andi, Emphasizes a conversational, visually engaging style. Summaries often include meme-like visuals. Kagi offers a subscription-based, ad-free option with minimal tracking.

What do They Need to Win the AI Search War?

Like in the 1990s, it all boils down to users. If a search tool can grab enough attention, keep people engaged, and build loyalty, it has a shot at success. This is why industry leaders like Sam Altman discuss topics like AGI—it’s a way to keep OpenAI at the forefront of innovation and public interest.

Moreover, companies need to grasp the concept of the ‘long tail’ in search. Human queries are inherently complex, which is why keyword-based search initially struggled to deliver effective results. Understanding and interpreting context, while providing the right level of information without overwhelming the user with excessive details, is a challenging task. Google, however, has a significant advantage with its years of experience and vast amounts of data.

So, don’t count Google out just yet. The comeback it made with its generative search experience was impressive, showcasing its ability to adapt and innovate. I’m confident that there’s much more to come from Google in this space.