Google Faces Growing Threat to Its Dominance in the Age of AI

Once the undisputed king of the internet, Google has built an empire since its launch in 1998 with its blue-link search engine, now valued at nearly two trillion dollars. However, with the rise of artificial intelligence, those days of dominance may be nearing an end.

The November 2022 breakthrough of ChatGPT triggered what some describe as an earthquake in the digital world. Since then, a new rivalry has emerged between Google and emerging AI-powered platforms. Notably, a platform called Perplexity has gained attention, claiming to be more than just a chatbot branding itself as an “answer engine.”

According to research from Bank of America, Google’s traffic has been declining year over year, while platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity are experiencing explosive growth. In just one year, Perplexity’s traffic surged by approximately 233 percent. Although Google still receives about 2.7 billion daily visits, the gap is rapidly narrowing.

This shift has prompted major tech giants like Apple and Samsung, the world’s top smartphone manufacturers, to begin discussions with Perplexity, sensing the changing landscape.

Many analysts believe that Generation Z no longer relies heavily on Google for answers. Instead, they prefer direct responses from AI platforms like ChatGPT or Perplexity.

Google is actively working to improve its AI services, but critics warn that many of its products are still in development stages. If user experience suffers, Google risks falling behind rivals and becoming a has-been like Nokia or Ask Jeeves.

Future Outlook Experts suggest that Google’s ‘end’ isn’t imminent, but unless it swiftly and effectively enhances its AI and search experiences, it could become a relic of the past, fading into history just like previous tech giants that failed to evolve.