Google’s new AI Overview feature has become the laughing stock of the internet.
But what if the search engine giant’s fumble that’s been so good for memes actually poses a lot of dangers for our world? Who Killed Google?
What’s really happening is that we’ve begun to fit the machines into an age-old technique we evolved thousands of years ago—“transactive memory.” That’s the art of storing information in the people around us. We have begun to treat search engines and smartphones the way we’ve long treated our spouses, friends, and workmates. They’re the handy devices we use to compensate for our ability to remember details.