Traditional search engines, like Google and Bing, have been the backbone of internet navigation for decades, but AI is quickly replacing them for internet searches.

Search engines depend heavily on users entering precise keywords to generate relevant results. For instance, searching “best budget laptop for students” might return a mix of outdated articles, irrelevant reviews, or lists that don’t address specific needs. Users often need to refine their searches multiple times, tweaking terms to align with the algorithm’s logic, which feels cumbersome and unintuitive.

They struggle to grasp context or user intent. They process queries in isolation, without considering prior searches or conversational nuance. If a user asks, “What’s a good laptop?” followed by “How about for gaming?”, a search engine treats these as unrelated, forcing the user to repeat details or navigate disjointed results.

Their ad-driven business model also undermines trust. Results are frequently cluttered with sponsored links and paid promotions that prioritize revenue over relevance. This commercial bias can bury high-quality content.

Search engines can often overwhelm users with information overload. A single query can yield thousands of links, requiring users to click through multiple websites, skim irrelevant pages, and cross-reference sources to find answers. This process is time-consuming and inefficient, especially when users seek quick, actionable insights. For example, researching a medical condition might lead to a maze of contradictory articles, leaving users confused rather than informed.

These flaws—keyword dependency, lack of context, ad saturation, and information overload—highlight why search engines are losing ground to AI-driven alternatives that prioritize user experience and efficiency.

There are several AI alternatives like Grok, ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Claude that are useful for internet searches. Grok’s integration with real-time X data and web search capabilities gives it an advantage for delivering up-to-date, relevant answers. For instance, when querying breaking news or trending topics, Grok leverages X’s dynamic conversations, providing insights that reflect current sentiment and developments, unlike ChatGPT, which often relies on static or outdated datasets.

Here are three recent examples of helpful internet searches that I have done using Grok.

1. My Sonicare toothbrush recently stopped working and I needed to replace it. The available options at Amazon were daunting. I typed the following query into Grok: “Can you describe the different models of Sonicare toothbrushes and their pros and cons to make a recommendation for purchase?” Within one-minute Grok had analyzed over 20 different web pages and summarized features, pros, and cons, and provided a recommendation tailored to general use, as of March 15, 2025. Grok created a summary table of 5 different models and then made a recommendation of which one to purchase. This would have taken me 30-45 minutes to sort through my options to decide what to purchase.
   
2. My sister-in-law is planning a trip to Charleston, South Carolina with her daughter. I used Grok to help her research hotels. Here is the query: “Find fun hotels in Charleston South Carolina. Compare and contrast.” In less than two minutes it searched twenty-five websites and here was the response:
   
   “Charleston, South Carolina, is known for its charm, history, and vibrant culture, and its hotels reflect this with unique offerings that can make your stay extra fun. Below, I’ll highlight five standout hotels that bring something playful or exciting to the table, then compare and contrast them based on vibe, amenities, location, and price range (as of April 2025, based on typical rates). These picks lean into Charleston’s personality while offering experiences beyond just a place to sleep.”
   
   This was a great time savings from performing individualized research.
   
3. For a recent trip I wanted to find a book to read similar in style to the Mitford series by Jan Karon. I asked Grok “Find books similar in style to the Mitford series.” Grok found 7 different book series like the Mitford series for me to explore.

Grok is free and easy to use. I hope that you will explore using this or another AI as an alternative to the current internet search engines. I have not used Google as my search engine in some time.

Ralph Broadwater, M.D., CFP®

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