Marketplace Tech
Bytes: Week in Review — Trump officials’ Signal leak, 23andMe goes bankrupt and chatbots take on search engines
Mar 28, 2025
Joanna Stern, a senior personal technology columnist at The Wall Street Journal, dives into the intriguing world of AI chatbots and their new web search capabilities, outpacing traditional search engines. She also discusses the shocking bankruptcy of 23andMe and the looming questions about user data privacy. Additionally, the conversation addresses a significant security blunder involving a Trump official on Signal, highlighting vulnerabilities even in encrypted messaging. Prepare for a thought-provoking exploration of technology's impact on privacy and search!
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Quick takeaways
- The integration of web search in AI chatbots like Claude and ChatGPT revolutionizes information retrieval by providing direct answers, enhancing user efficiency.
- 23andMe's bankruptcy raises concerns about the security of genetic data, highlighting the lack of comprehensive federal privacy laws and user control over sensitive information.
Deep dives
The Evolution of AI in Web Search
AI tools like Anthropic's Claude, OpenAI's ChatGPT, and Perplexity have transformed the web search experience by providing users with direct answers rather than sifting through numerous links. This shift signifies a movement away from traditional search engines that often overwhelm users with sponsored content and irrelevant results. Although there are concerns about the accuracy of AI-generated answers, users have found it more efficient to access quality information quickly. As these tools evolve, it raises questions about the future of web traffic distribution and the sustainability of content-rich websites.
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