| Author |
Message |
Seamonkey
Moderator
09-06-2000
| Sunday, April 12, 2026 - 11:59 am 
Progressing
Appreciative
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Grooch
Member
06-16-2006
| Wednesday, May 20, 2026 - 10:03 am
OK, I want to get off of Google search for my own good and this thread is my push to do it.
Link to thread
quote:Paris Marx
@parismarx.com
Yesterday Google made it very clear it will degrade Search to use the massive amount of traffic to goes through it to push its billions of users into generative AI tools they aren’t asking for.
Search is no longer a portal to the web; it’s a portal to Gemini.
So, the question is, what search engine do you use and how do you like it compared to google?
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Kappy
Member
06-28-2002
| Wednesday, May 20, 2026 - 10:13 am
Great question, Grooch! I hate Bing and always reverted back to google when I could so now what do we do?!
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Jimmer
Board Administrator
08-29-2000
| Wednesday, May 20, 2026 - 10:23 am
That is a good question.
DuckDuckGo is good
https://duckduckgo.com/
Also Startpage
https://www.startpage.com/
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Pamy
Member
01-01-2002
| Wednesday, May 20, 2026 - 11:21 am
google and c h a t g p t if I want to have a conversation about what I am searching lol
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-06-2000
| Wednesday, May 20, 2026 - 12:18 pm
But she wants to avoid AI..
It seems to be everywhere.
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Rieann
Member
08-26-2006
| Wednesday, May 20, 2026 - 2:56 pm
I use Duck Duck Go as well. AI does seem to be seeping into everything. It’s scary.
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Dipo
Member
04-22-2002
| Wednesday, May 20, 2026 - 3:40 pm
I use Google, and scroll down past the AI stuff to the real articles.
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Jimmer
Board Administrator
08-29-2000
| Wednesday, May 20, 2026 - 8:46 pm
I think the concern though is that may no longer be possible in the future.
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Juju2bigdog
Member
10-26-2000
| Wednesday, May 20, 2026 - 10:55 pm
I switched to Duck Duck Go, not sure how many years ago, maybe 5-8? It is satisfactory. I only use Google if I don't get what I think is satisfactory, like if I Duck Duck Go my own name, and it doesn't bring up things related to my former work.
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Juju2bigdog
Member
10-26-2000
| Wednesday, May 20, 2026 - 11:05 pm
Oh, and thank goodness the kids seem to be uprising against AI. Go kids!
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-06-2000
| Thursday, May 21, 2026 - 12:15 am
Multiple concerns with AI.
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-21-2001
| Thursday, May 21, 2026 - 6:54 pm
I use Duck Duck Go - you can turn off the AI feature - and if you use their browser & turn it off, you never see it.
Another vote for DDG - I work for the court as a state employee. Just yesterday they upgraded our computers. As the tech was setting mine up, he said "Oh! Duck Duck Go!" I asked if that was a problem, and he said, "NO! That's what I use!"
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Juju2bigdog
Member
10-26-2000
| Thursday, May 21, 2026 - 9:56 pm
I actually kind of like the DuckDuckGo AI feature and often click on it if I am having an am I too old for all this new tech moment. (I am now 78, holy crapola, how did this happen?)
BUT, I only like it if I already agree with what it suggests.
And then I wonder if I have already been brainwashed. Or am I still in control of my own up to now super mind?
AAAAAAIIIIIIIIEEEEE!!!!! (runs screaming from room with hair on fire)
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-21-2001
| Friday, May 22, 2026 - 5:27 pm
All I can say is please, please, please try to verify AI info. It is SO often wrong!!! One of our Judges used it one time simply to summarize a couple of longer legal articles. One of the "facts" given she knew to be wrong, and when she asked the AI/ChatGpt, "Is this wrong?", the reply was "Yes."
She said she was seeing more and more opinions by lazy attorneys that have factually incorrect information and legal references.
It's awful. I'm begging - just double check from a reliable source.
Thank you for coming to my Ted talk. 😉
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Dipo
Member
04-22-2002
| Friday, May 22, 2026 - 6:19 pm
Yep, I am probably going to have to move away from Google. I had to restart my computer and the new google Chrome screwed everything up. I had to go and readd Threads and Bluesky to my bookmarks. My list of bookmarks are all screwed up, every bookmark I access I have to sign-in, so I guess it eliminated all my passwords. Including this site.
So annoying, maybe I will try Microsoft Edge.
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Juju2bigdog
Member
10-26-2000
| Friday, May 22, 2026 - 10:21 pm
Oh, just to reassure Teach - I only use AI for trivial things, like some silly or simple thing I am looking up, just to see if I am right, or how to accomplish some computer shortcut.
I am basically opposed to AI and especially the energy-and-water-devouring datacenters that are being built.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-06-2000
| Friday, May 22, 2026 - 11:33 pm
But every AI use adds to non trivial AI usage. I know it is never going away but I try to never knowingly use it.
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Mack
Member
07-22-2002
| Saturday, May 23, 2026 - 1:20 am
We don’t deliberately use AI but kind of know it is becoming more and more part of the computing and Internet that we use frequently. My son has his masters degree from MIT in AI and naturally not opposed to its use.
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Karuuna
Board Administrator
08-30-2000
| Saturday, May 23, 2026 - 7:37 am
The thing about google AI is that it always gives links to the sources, so you can click thru and read the original source too.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-06-2000
| Saturday, May 23, 2026 - 2:43 pm
I just keep hearing one after another about communities losing water sources to AI centers andd also destruction of sensitive areas for their water.
And a judge said she found blatant errors in AI generated documents and asked if the statements were untrue and the AI said yes, untrue. Also she is seeing AI generated documents from attorneys with statements that, if accepted, would change the outcome of important cases.
I know there are some applications where it can be helpful, but the use is dumbing down brains already and while most of us are old enough to have learned to think and evaluate, kids growing up with it .. Not so much.
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Jimmer
Board Administrator
08-29-2000
| Saturday, May 23, 2026 - 5:53 pm
Resource use is a complicated issue. The common belief is that AI is bad because it uses a lot of resources. However, let’s look at an example of someone who wants to buy a toaster. They could use AI to try and determine the best toaster for them to buy, order it online and, of course, use resources in doing so. Or they could avoid using AI or Google and instead go to various stores and local locations and examine the toasters for themselves, assess which one is best and then buy one. The problem is that both situations use resources. The example where the person actually physically goes to the store and looks at toasters uses resources as well.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-06-2000
| Saturday, May 23, 2026 - 9:22 pm
Very true, but people driving to Best Buy or using existing searches or Consumer reports worry me less than thinking of people who find themselves living near a data center, with the noise and lights and water and electricity demands.
We have until relatively recently managed to become informed and make decisions without AI.. But clearly it is here. And I won't live to see a world run by those manipulated from a young age by information handed to them from AI, some of which is admittedly untrue. And the AI companions that already have encouraged toxic behaviors, or suicide. There is enough of that already.
I get notices all the time that someone I follow is on AJ. I think MetaAI. Will I join them? So far, no way. Haven't used ChatGPT either.
So far.
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Juju2bigdog
Member
10-26-2000
| Saturday, May 23, 2026 - 9:35 pm
<spins head backwards>
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