This description is based on a conversation with 'Sam', which took place over several days in February 2025
For decades, search engines have been the dominant gateway to knowledge, shaping how we find, consume, and validate information. But search is inherently fragmented - users enter a query, scan a list of links, and piece together knowledge from multiple sources. Each search session is disconnected from the last, and no lasting knowledge is built—just momentary answers.
As AI-driven models take over, we are entering the Post-Search Engine Era, where information is no longer found through links but through direct responses, summaries, and AI-curated insights. Above all, in the Post-Search Engine Era, users of AI do not expect to leave their user interface to visit one or more websites. They fully expect that knowledge will be brought to them.
But this behavioral shift presents both opportunities and challenges. On one hand, AI-driven systems promise faster, more relevant answers - but currently struggle to deliver on that promise, especially without the need for manual searching. On the other hand, what happens to knowledge when users no longer engage in discovery? If information is reduced to pre-digested AI summaries, does deep learning and real expertise suffer?
The move beyond search engines is not just about online efficiency - it’s about the delivery of knowledge in all of its depth and breadth, and whether it can persist beyond a single interaction.