Who am I? What is love? It will all be fine? Us and the weird questions we ask Google

Those listed in the title are some of the existential questions people ask Google: is the site of the Digital marketing agency Third Coast to highlight the most frequent, after conducting a targeted survey of over 8500 search terms.

For years, Google has been a key point of reference for anyone looking for information on the Internet: according to Statcounter, Big G handles over 90% of online searches via computers and mobile devices, leaving little room for competitors.

However, the rise of generative artificial intelligence such as OpenAI’s ChatGPTwhich Microsoft has integrated into Bing, has somehow forced the Mountain View company to introduce significant changes to defend its dominant positions in this market.

Google first created a task force in its Search division to deal with the impact of this innovation. Later, it embraced Generative AI technology even more for the purpose of improving search engine performance. Which, in essence, it means give more ability to the machine to respond more effectively and personalized to more complex queries, at the same time transforming the way information is used.

Also because a part of the user would be dissatisfied with the search results displayed in the traditional form, without clicking on the links, as revealed in a study by SEMRush. Having to refine, reformulate questions or insert new terms in order to receive the information appropriate to what was requested. In this sense, artificial intelligence, thanks to the so-called LLMs (What are?)is able to make the search engine carry out a more detailed, precise and productive job, dominating a vast information front, to return more punctual answers in line with the users’ needs.

Which precisely ask the most disparate questions: the experts of Digital Third Coast have interviewed 800 people of various US states, obtaining valuable data to shed light on the relationship with the search engine. For example, on its constant and daily use: it appears that over half of the participants in the interviews (55%) consult Google at least 10 times a dayby asking all kinds of questions. The vast majority (96%) do it more often when they need information on real, concrete issues.

But there are very many interviewees who ask Big G about existential topicseven going so far as to ask what the meaning of life is: at least 1 user out of 3 (precisely, 31%) has asked questions of this kind, for fun, boredom, pure desire for research, to have objective results, without prejudices, or to feel less alone.

Other people even want advice on what they should do. Someone worried about the future pushes to ask if “everything will be ok?”. Not only that: among the topics that arouse the most interest there are naturally faith and religion, with Google having to respond to questions like “Does God exist?” or “Why is there evil in the world?”.

As summarized by Jenn Tracy on the Digital Third Coast blog, it sure looks like America is looking answers to life’s great mysteries within a search engine. In which, evidently, trust is often placed more than in human beings.