The recent changes in Google, I assume to keep pace with AI, are already leading to junk and spammy information dominating its first pages, as Google turns more into a “social media” dominated search engine.
The problem with this change, is that the popular answers are not always the best answers; similar to YouTube, sure some of the “How To” information is great, but when you start getting into more detail-related information, in which the specifics and context of the information count, this is where, Google is going to lose a lot of market share.
AI is not allowed to lie; it also spreads a LOT of misinformation, Do you know who else spreads a lot of misinformation? Social media, for example, most people do not trust TikTok, as most people mainly use TikTok for ENTERTAINMENT, which is good for TikTok, but it gives TikTok that “junk” feel.
These changes by Google, if not refined, will lead to junk information rising at the top of its search pages, as what Google imagines as POPULAR content will soon be viewed as a “general” consensus, not worth believing.