KARACHI: Google has announced that its iconic search bar will be “totally reimagined with AI,” marking what the company described as the biggest change to the web’s favourite search engine in 25 years.

For years, when internet users have wanted to know something online, they Google it. But the world was forced to confront a new reality when the company announced users will not be able to just search for things like they used to, prompting immediate backlash over misinformation and environmental concerns.

Following the announcement, comment sections were full of people telling Google this was a terrible idea nobody had asked for. Some users threatened to walk out on the world’s most popular search engine if the change is implemented, noting they had alternatives prepared for this exact scenario.

Users reacting to the company’s announcement on X asked the company to please do away with the idea of putting artificial intelligence in everything and “let the internet heal.”

Frustrated users threaten mass exodus to alternative search engines

One user, expressing fatigue over fighting the AI surge, asked Google to at least allow people to opt out of the new development.

While Google’s move seems like common sense on the surface, especially in the context of the rise of AI chatbots as tools for retrieving information, experts note that it is not the full picture.

AI agents — including Google’s own Gemini system, which the AI-search feature will operate on — are known to be susceptible to manipulation.

The bots often push popular but unverified information as fact, leading to a dangerous potential to spread misinformation. While some services, including Google’s current system of AI summaries, attempt to counter this by citing sources, many people do not check these citations before accepting the information as factual.

Additionally, there are environmental impacts tied to artificial intelligence, with the technology heavily criticised for its clean water usage.

Estimates indicate 10 to 50 prompts on an AI agent use up roughly half a litre of water. Multiplied by three, it’s the water an average person needs to consume in a day; multiplied by millions, experts warn, it is an environmental crisis waiting to happen.

With water scarcity and misinformation both being prevalent issues, critics say it is worth asking if AI really is the next frontier of technology or if society has taken a wrong turn somewhere.

Published in Dawn, May 23rd, 2026