The Evolving Paradigm of Content Discovery

From typing keywords to talking to AI, consumer behavior is changing fast

For years, discovery online meant typing in keywords, popularly on Google, and sifting through blue links or items lists. More recently however, the AI revolution has resulted in people wanting answers rather than dozens of search results.

Google itself has acknowledged this shift. CEO Sundar Pichai recently called Google's AI Overviews "one of the most successful launches in Search in the past decade" and emphasized that "as people use AI Overviews, we see they're happier with their results, and they search more often" [timesofindia]

Further, recent primary research reports indicate a dramatic acceleration towards the adoption of AI search tools. One report pointed to a more than doubling of Daily AI tool usage from 14% to 29.2% between February and August 2025, while another indicated that conversational exploration through AI-powered interactions has resulted in higher user engagement levels.
This shift is more clear among younger generations with 34% of Gen Z users actively using AI chatbots for search.[highervisibility] [firstpagesage] [searchengineland]

Why keyword search isn't enough anymore

Keyword search was a great starting point, but people are moving from keywords to conversations because it's faster, more intuitive, and more aligned with how we naturally think. If you search "running shoes for flat feet", you'll likely only get products that contain those exact words. You'll miss equally relevant options described differently, like "arch support trainers".

This is why, at Atri AI, we are focused on making semantic search easily adoptable. Instead of just matching words, semantic search understands meaning and intent.

• Ask for "lightweight shoes for marathon training" and it will show options designed for endurance, even if "marathon" never appears in the product description.
• On a streaming platform, typing "movies with a strong female lead and mind-bending plot" can bring up exactly the kind of films you're in the mood for, even if none of the words in the query appear in the movie title or plot synopsis.

By moving from word-matching to intent-matching, semantic search makes discovery far more precise and engaging.

RAG-powered chatbots: Discovery becomes a conversation

Taking it one step further is Retrieval-Augmented Generation RAG. By giving LLMs access to a library of real, structured data—products, articles, videos—querying and discovery becomes conversational.

Instead of trial-and-erroring keywords and scrolling through results, users can simply tell an AI assistant what they are looking for.

This feels a lot like an in-store shopping assistant: responsive, contextual, and conversational.

Atri AI Search and Chat tools

At Atri AI, we've built tools that make this new way of discovering information immediately usable on your own platform. Instead of building complex pipelines in-house, teams can plug in our AI Search and AI Chat products and start delivering better experiences to consumers right away.

Together, these tools give your users the best of both worlds: the precision of search and the fluidity of chat. Whether it's helping a customer find the right product, answering a technical question, or guiding content discovery, at Atri AI, we help you make every interaction smarter, faster, and more engaging.

The future: Conversational and contextual discovery

We're moving toward a future where discovery is less about searching and more about finding.

• Conversational: You ask, the system answers. No more keyword gymnastics from the consumer and tagging headache for the provider.
• Contextual: It remembers the user's preferences, history, and style.
• Proactive: It anticipates needs and surfaces options before you realize you want them.

The search box won't disappear tomorrow, but its role is changing. With semantic search and RAG assistants, discovery is becoming intelligent, intuitive, and deeply personal.