Why genAI search is as bad for shoppers as it is for marketers | MarTech

"GenAI search products like AI Overview are as bad for buyers as they are for marketers. Where traditional search once provided pages of possible vendors, the new tools collapse results into a single answer declared "best" for reasons unknown. It looks authoritative, but hides much more than it reveals - leaving sellers invisible and buyers uninformed. One of the many problems with genAI search is that it gives the finger to the invisible hand of the marketplace - the "best" choice is picked by algorithm, not competition."

"I discovered this searching for a particular type of first aid kit. I'm working to become a certified EMT - not changing careers, just wanting to be prepared for emergencies. That means having the right gear, in this case, an individual first aid kit (IFAK), which is for trauma, not first aid. The kits include a tourniquet for severe limb bleeding, hemostatic agents and gauze for wound packing, a chest seal for open chest wounds and other things I hope I never need."

"I ran the same query across multiple genAI tools. The results looked less like "search" and more like roulette: Gemini (paid): First gave four companies plus three "helpful" suggestions about what a IFAIK should contain; a second ask produced eight; a third returned 14; asking for a complete list in a table dropped it back to eight. ChatGPT Pro: Started with five products; when pushed for mor"

Generative AI search tools collapse multiple vendor results into a single, opaque "best" answer chosen by algorithms rather than market competition. The result appears authoritative while hiding many valid alternatives and rendering sellers invisible and buyers uninformed. A search for an individual first aid kit (IFAK) while training as an EMT highlighted the issue. Established manufacturers coexist with other solid vendors, but the AI outputs varied widely and inconsistently across repeated queries and platforms. Algorithmic selection privileges perceived "helpfulness" metrics and mathematical formulas over comprehensive marketplace listings, undermining consumer choice.

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