Chatbots, search engines, and the sealing of knowledges
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20398669 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Nora Freya Lindemann (0000-0003-2551-8773, Osnabrück University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 40 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 5063-5076 |
| Publication date | 2025-08-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | AI & Society (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0951-5666 • E-ISSN: 1435-5655 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s00146-024-01944-w |
| OpenAlex | W4395007624 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 19 |
In 2023, online search engine provider Microsoft integrated a language model that provides direct answers to search queries into its search engine Bing. Shortly afterwards, Google also introduced a similar feature to its search engine with the launch of Google Gemini. This introduction of direct answers to search queries signals an important and significant change in online search. This article explores the implications of this new search paradigm. Drawing on Donna Haraway’s theory of Situated Knowledges and Rainer Mühlhoff’s concept of Sealed Surfaces , I introduce the term Sealed Knowledges to draw attention to the increasingly difficult access to the plurality of potential answers to search queries through the output of a singular, authoritative, and plausible text paragraph. I argue that the integration of language models for the provision of direct answers into search engines is based on a de-situated and disembodied understanding of knowledge and affects the subjectivities of its users. At the same time, the sealing of knowledges can lead to an increasing spread of misinformation and may make marginalized knowledge increasingly difficult to find. The paper concludes with an outlook on how to resist the increasing sealing of knowledges in online search
Computer security · Data science · Information retrieval · Misinformation · Online search · Paragraph · Phrase search · Search analytics · Search engine · Semantic search · Situated · Web search query · World Wide Web · AI in Service Interactions · Computer Science · Ethics and Social Impacts of AI · Misinformation and Its Impacts · Artificial Intelligence
| Citations per year | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Highly cited | No |