Apollo economist warns: AI bubble now bigger than 1990s tech mania
Google’s CEO talks the future of AI and Google Search cannibalization
Investing.com -- Sundar Pichai doesn’t believe in the “winner-takes-all” narrative in the AI race. The mild-mannered CEO of Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) expressed positive conviction that “all of us are going to do well,” referring to his friends and competitors in pursuit of AI monetization and dominance.
Speaking to David Friedberg on the All-In Podcast Friday, Pichai stressed that such a transformative technology as AI will lift all boats, so long as innovation and execution are there. He argued that perhaps the biggest AI-geared companies don’t even exist yet, saying, “there are companies we don’t even know, haven’t been started yet… their names aren’t known [but] might be extraordinarily big winners in AI.”
Google itself wasn’t operating when the internet was founded, Pichai acknowledged, and yet now it stands as its poster boy. For many, using the internet still starts with one action: Googling.
However, sentiment is changing, as AI tools and apps such as ChatGPT are starting to take share in the internet search business. Investors have reacted squeamishly to any news suggesting a potential loss of Google’s market share.
Last week, Google stock was sent spiralling after Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) executive Eddy Cue signaled that the company is exploring a transition to more AI-driven search in its Safari browser. In the markets, one false move or misstep seems poised to completely level shares of the Mag 7 tech giant.
Friedberg asked Pichai the question that’s on everyone’s mind: Is Google getting disrupted? The calm and collected Pichai refuted, “The dilemma only exists if you treat it as a dilemma.”
There is a new paradigm that does risk classic search formats, he conceded, but instead of framing it as a challenge, Pichai sees it as an opportunity. Already, Google is rising to the occasion, as AI integration in search has culminated in an AI Overviews tool, powered by Google’s Gemini, that has appeared in over 1.5 billion user sessions.
The tech titan is also preparing to launch “AI Mode,” a dedicated generative experience within Search that allows users to interact through longer, multi-turn conversations. This will enable users to have “a full-on AI experience in Search, including follow-on conversational queries,” and is set to be detailed at Google I/O, per Pichai.
These threats to search have happened before, and the CEO argues they will happen again. Investors were concerned with the transition to mobile search, and Google executed. Investors were concerned with Tiktok taking Youtube share, and it seemingly hasn’t.
By “leaning into the technology” and fostering user experiences, Pichai thinks Google will be just fine. Despite the hesitancy so far, some investors may agree, as Google stock is 1.7% higher on the day.