Google’s plan to run your life could break the internet

May 28, 2026 — 5:15pm

You have reached your maximum number of saved items.

Remove items from your saved list to add more.

Many people regret appearing in Playboy in their youth. Google’s two co-founders might be an unlikely addition to this group.

In 2004, Larry Page and Sergey Brin gave an extensive interview to the magazine that threatened to derail the search engine’s Nasdaq initial public offering, disrupting a pre-flotation “quiet period” in which executives are meant to stay silent.

Ultimately, the storm passed. But Page’s comments during the interview have since hung over the company.

“We want to get you out of Google and to the right place as fast as possible,” Page said.

At the time, Google was known for its “10 blue links”. The company prided itself on a slick, uncluttered interface that produced better search results than its myriad rivals, which at the time were attempting to stuff search results with their own services.

Google unveils new search bar, smart glasses as it ramps up the AI wars

“Most portals show their own content above content elsewhere on the web,” Page said. “We feel that’s a conflict of interest, analogous to taking money for search results.”

Today, critics say this philosophy has been dropped. No Google search only features 10 blue links, and Google’s own services, from shopping to YouTube videos, feature prominently at the top of its results.

Increasingly, the company’s “AI overviews” and more detailed “AI mode”, both generated by artificial intelligence, answer questions without the user needing to leave the page.

The company took the latest step down this path last week. Google will allow users to ask follow-up questions of its AI overviews, which may further reduce the incentive to click through to websites. Search results will also allow people to build mini-apps and “agents” that can scour the web on your behalf, booking restaurants or hotel rooms on your behalf.

“We’re entering the era of search agents,” Elizabeth Reid, the head of Google Search, said.

Critics believe we are approaching “Google Zero”: a future in which........

© The Sydney Morning Herald