For years, Google has dominated the search engine market, but as competition grows, the tech giant’s focus on profits over user experience might lead to its downfall. Arvind Jain, a former Google engineer and now CEO of the enterprise AI search platform Glean, argues that Google’s search quality has suffered, particularly on mobile devices where ads overcrowd the page.
In recent months, new players in the search space, like OpenAI’s SearchGPT, have emerged. SearchGPT has already earned the nickname “Google killer.” Other smaller competitors, such as Perplexity AI, are also gaining momentum. “There is more serious competition than ever before,” Ashwini Karandikar, executive vice president of media, technology and data at the American Association of Advertising Agencies, an industry group, told Observer.
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Jain agrees that Google’s product has worsened over time. “The experience was getting worse, especially on mobile devices, where there are just way too many ads on the page,” Jain. He believes Google’s focus on profitability has hindered its innovation, which could now leave room for competitors to gain ground.
AI-powered search engines, like those using large language models (LLMs), offer a new approach to search and digital advertising. However, Jain believes these systems are not yet commercially ready. “Personally, as a user, I don’t feel comfortable going to these answer engines,” he explained, pointing out that many don’t cite their sources, which limits user trust.
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Trust in AI technology remains a major hurdle. A Pew Research study found that 52 percent of Americans feel more concerned than excited about the increased use of AI, especially when it comes to finding accurate information online. This is why companies like OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, and others are working on transparency initiatives, including a project called the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA) to help trace the origin of online content.
Despite its challenges, Google still has a strong advantage in terms of brand trust. Andrew Frank, an analyst at Gartner, explained that people trust Google because they’re familiar with its results. However, it’s worth noting that as AI competitors continue to develop, the search engine landscape may shift—and Google’s dominance is no longer guaranteed.