As I was reviewing an opinion article about the state of Google’s AI search engine (the link to that article can be found below), I thought I would double-check some of the author’s facts and conclusions.
However, before you read what I have to say, here is a summary of that author’s opinion piece:
The article’s author used Google Search’s [Bard] to find out how many stamps were needed to post an 8-ounce piece of mail. The hope was that Google’s new generative AI search engine would provide a faster answer than traditional browsing. The author says Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) adds conversational functionality to the old search engine and encourages users to interact with its search chatbot. However, the author goes on to say that the new AI SGE is slow, ineffective, verbose, and cluttered.
When accessing Google’s AI search engine, the search box appears the same, but a new section appears in response to a query. This section contains paragraphs generated by Google’s large language models, similar to ChatGPT or Bing Chat. The AI-generated answers are meant to organize information more clearly, but often contain errors and outdated information.
The new search feature is also unreliable. It sometimes contradicts itself and fails to provide accurate information. Additionally, the AI response can be wordy and difficult to understand when compared to other features on the results page.
Despite these issues, Google is continuously working to improve the speed and accuracy of the AI software. The company acknowledges that the current state of the feature is experimental and expects it to evolve over the next 10 years. User feedback has been positive, and Google plans to launch a different version of the AI SGE feature in the future.
In conclusion, Google’s new search experience is slow, inaccurate, and not as helpful as expected. It duplicates other features on the results page and can be difficult to comprehend. There is still a long way to go in developing this technology.
The whytry.ai article you just read is a brief synopsis; the original article can be found here: Read the Full Article…
With that said, Why Try AI? wanted to verify some of the author’s conclusions about Google’s Bard being “slow, ineffective, verbose, and cluttered…” with Bard’s response paragraphs containing “…errors and outdated information….,” and being “…wordy and difficult to understand.”
So, I chose the following question to ask to both Google’s traditional pre-AI search engine, and to their AI Bard search engine. The test question was: “Which package carrier can deliver a 5 pound package in two days from Los Angeles to New York City for the lowest cost?”
I asked that question to Google’s non-AI search engine. In about a second it returned a page of information containing 3 advertisement hyperlinks, and 44 informational hyperlinks to various websites having something to do with package carriers, shipping rates, or shipping rate calculators all intended for me to use for further research with the intent that, hopefully and eventually, I’d find the answer to my question. That is, it found sites that might have an answer to my question, but could not directly find that answer, itself.
Next, I asked Bard, Google’s AI search engine, the exact same question. Bard uses a slightly different user interface than the old search engine. It is not forced to do this, but Google seems to be following ChatGPT’s lead with a narrow input (“prompt”) field for the search question or parameter, and, a larger output text (“response”) field for Bard’s answer, which can be copied to your device’s clipboard (once you find that not-so-obvious menu command). This is all very similar to ChatGPT’s UI and terminology.
In comparison to Google’s non-AI search engine, Bard’s response took about 2 seconds. Here is what it printed in its response window:
“The cheapest way to ship a 5 pound package from Los Angeles to New York City in 2 days is USPS Priority Mail 2-Day. The cost is \$16.95.
Here are the estimated shipping costs for different carriers:
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- USPS Priority Mail 2-Day: \$16.95
- UPS 2nd Day Air: \$24.95
- FedEx 2Day: \$29.95
USPS Priority Mail 2-Day is the cheapest option because it is a government-owned carrier and offers lower rates than private carriers. It also offers a money-back guarantee if your package does not arrive on time.
The other carriers also offer 2-day shipping, but their rates are higher. UPS 2nd Day Air is the most expensive option, but it offers guaranteed delivery by the end of the next business day. FedEx 2Day is also a guaranteed delivery service, but it is slightly cheaper than UPS 2nd Day Air.
If you are looking for the cheapest option, USPS Priority Mail 2-Day is the best choice. If you need guaranteed delivery by the end of the next business day, UPS 2nd Day Air or FedEx 2Day are the better options.
Here are some other factors to consider when choosing a shipping carrier:
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- Package size and weight: The weight and size of your package will affect the shipping cost.
- Delivery speed: How quickly do you need your package delivered?
- Package insurance: Do you want to insure your package against loss or damage?
- Package tracking: Do you want to be able to track your package’s progress?
I hope this helps!”
I did not find Bard’s reply too slow, chatty or lengthy. It was a nice reminder that package weight, size, shipping speed, insurance, and tracking options could raise the price. I am doubtful that USPS consistently “offers lower rates than private carriers,” but its seems to be true in this particular case.
In conclusion, my experience with Google’s search engine was very different from that of the original article’s author. Therefore, I would advise Why Try AI? readers to test out authors’ AI claims personally, and believe their own direct experiences, rather than an author’s quick, unscientific claims– which is exactly what I have done! So, please feel free to re-run my experiment; you should copy and paste my test question into both Bard and Google’s old search engine.