Information retrieval
Source reports covering Information retrieval. Stories will appear when analysis and community reactions are ready.
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Source reports
What we lost when search stopped making us think
opinion
4 min read
Search results increasingly contain SEO-focused pages, duplicated answers and AI-generated material that can sound authoritative while misstating technical details, according to the author. Useful original sources may appear farther down results or be republished without their original context. The author attributes the trend to web incentives that reward visibility in ranking algorithms rather than accuracy, with generative AI making it cheap to create large volumes of plausible text that search systems struggle to distinguish from useful information. Several major search products now place AI-generated summaries directly in results, reducing the clicks needed to obtain an answer. The author argues that these summaries can conceal the provenance and reliability of underlying sources, leaving people who lack prior knowledge less able to identify errors. The author also contends that relying on generated answers can weaken research skills such as forming hypotheses, comparing sources and resolving disagreements between them. The same concern applies to using generative tools to bypass difficult drafting or idea generation, the author says. The author uses such tools for tasks including resume editing but distinguishes tools that extend a person's abilities from ones that replace cognitive work while retaining a sense of user control. Product optimization for engagement and convenience has reduced the friction that once prompted people to assess sources and develop their own conclusions, the author argues.
Quality non-fiction books are the antithesis of AI slop
tool
10 min read
A tool has been developed to help users find quality non-fiction books, contrasting them with inferior AI-generated content. The creator reflects on the significant intellectual experience gained from a college job shelving books in a library.
Google Books (or similar) all book scans – $200k bounty (2025)
tool
1 min read
A $200,000 bounty has been announced for methods to access all book scans from Google Books, which currently only displays snippets through search results. Contributors are encouraged to share scalable prototypes for potential support in development.
I don't want my search engine to think for me
opinion
5 min read
AI search summaries like Google’s AI Overviews and Bing’s Copilot answers provide direct answers at the top of search results, reducing the need for users to click through links. This shift in search functionality has led to concerns about diminishing user engagement with traditional search results.
Now AI agents need what RSS does
opinion
2 min read
RSS remains functional despite predictions of its decline after Google Reader's shutdown in 2013. AI agents utilize RSS feeds to monitor competitor activities, track regulatory changes, and summarize research without the unpredictability of social algorithms.
Google tools for customizing searches
tool
20 min read
Google offers a hidden Reference Desk feature that helps users find specific information more efficiently. The Reference Desk framework includes 40 distinct features and alternative search engines to enhance search capabilities beyond traditional methods.
I'm Not Consulting an LLM
opinion
3 min read
Using GPT or similar LLMs for information retrieval can be likened to Google's "I'm Feeling Lucky" feature, providing a single result without displaying the full range of search results. This method may lead to a lack of comprehensive understanding and context in the information obtained.
Alibaba says its AI agent mined crypto on its own during training
tool
1 min read
Perplexity is a free AI-powered answer engine that provides accurate, trusted, and real-time answers to any question.
Recreating Epstein PDFs from raw encoded attachments
15 min read
The latest Epstein archive released by the DoJ contains uncensored PDFs recreated from raw encoded attachments. Complaints have arisen regarding the censorship of co-conspirators' names and the mishandling of evidence, including unredacted credentials that allowed unauthorized access to Epstein's account.