AI chatbots can be impressive, but when it comes to search, they have some serious flaws. A recent study from the Columbia Journalism Review highlighted why you shouldn’t rely on chatbots for searching the web — and why search engines like Google still do a better job.
AI Hallucinations and Fabrications
AI search engines often “hallucinate” — a fancy way of saying they make stuff up. The study found that chatbots frequently generate false information and even fabricate links. If you’ve ever clicked on a source provided by a chatbot only to find it doesn’t exist, you’ve experienced this firsthand. Unlike search engines, which deliver links to real sources, chatbots sometimes invent them out of thin air.
False Confidence Is Misleading
Perhaps more concerning is how confidently wrong AI chatbots can be. The study showed that premium models, which you’d expect to be more reliable, were more likely to present incorrect information with absolute certainty. That’s dangerous when you’re looking for facts or trustworthy sources.
Ethical Concerns and Bypassing Restrictions
AI models have also been caught bypassing content restrictions, such as publisher paywalls and robot exclusion protocols. That’s not just unethical — it’s a serious breach of trust between content creators and platforms.
Lack of Transparency
Search engines give you a list of links so you can verify the information yourself. AI chatbots, on the other hand, often fail to properly cite their sources. If you can’t trace the information back to a reliable source, how can you trust it?
Stick to Search Engines for Searching
Search engines like Google have spent decades perfecting the art of indexing and retrieving information. They give you sources, citations, and a path to fact-checking. AI chatbots are great for brainstorming, generating ideas, or summarising content — but for search? Stick to the professionals.
AI chat is powerful, but it’s not a search engine — and you shouldn’t treat it like one.
