ChatGPT makes you curious about more things, but it actually gives you a much narrower view of the world than a Google search.
April 15, 2026
Original Paper
From Searchable to Non-Searchable: Generative AI and Information Diversity in Online Information Seeking
arXiv · 2604.10258
AI-generated illustration
The Takeaway
There’s a strange paradox happening with generative AI: it expands what we ask but shrinks what we learn. The study found that while 80% of queries were 'non-searchable'—meaning people were asking more creative or complex questions—the AI's actual answers were less diverse than traditional search results. Because the AI is designed to give the 'most likely' or 'best' answer, it creates a feedback loop that filters out alternative perspectives. You end up exploring a wider territory but through a much tinier window. For regular people, this means that while AI feels like it's opening doors, it might actually be trapping you in an information bubble.
From the abstract
Conversational generative AI systems such as ChatGPT are transforming how people seek and engage with information online. Unlike traditional search engines, these systems support open-ended, conversational inquiry, yet it remains unclear whether they ultimately expand or constrain the diversity of knowledge that users encounter in online search spaces, a primary foundation for knowledge work, learning, and innovation. Using over 200,000 real-world human-ChatGPT interactions, we examine how gener