AI Overtakes Crypto in Google Searches, high on Public Interest

• Searches for “AI” on Google have significantly outstripped those for “Bitcoin” and “crypto” since the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in November 2022.
• While suffering from a prolonged bear market, Bitcoin showed recovery in 2023.
• The interest is particularly high in countries like Vietnam, China, the Philippines, and Myanmar.

In a remarkable shift in public curiosity, searches for “artificial intelligence (AI)” on Google have skyrocketed, eclipsing those for “Bitcoin” and other cryptocurrency terms.

This surge aligns closely with the November 2022 launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, igniting a widespread fascination with AI.

Historically, Google Trends data revealed that since 2020, “Bitcoin” and “crypto” searches often surpassed those for “AI.” However, this trend reversed around August 2022, with “AI” searches notably breaking out in November 2022, coinciding with the debut of ChatGPT.

As of 2023, AI’s search interest has significantly outpaced that of crypto or Bitcoin, boasting a Google Trends score of 91 against Bitcoin’s 22. These scores are part of Google’s system that ranks search terms from 0 to 100 based on their proportion of total searches.

This development isn’t entirely unexpected, given Bitcoin’s struggle through a protracted bear market since late 2021. Despite this, Bitcoin has shown resilience, recovering from a start-of-year value of $16,900 to approximately $43,400, as reported by CoinMarketCap. Interestingly, Bitcoin’s highest search interest came from El Salvador, Nigeria, the Netherlands, Brazil, and Switzerland.

Meanwhile, AI has experienced a banner year with notable developments. Concerns over AI’s potential impact on acting jobs, the rise of AI-generated nudes, and the excitement surrounding new chatbots like ChatGPT, Google Bard, Meta AI, and Elon Musk’s GrokAI have contributed to this surge. This interest was particularly strong in Vietnam, China, the Philippines, and Myanmar.

Here are some specific examples of groundbreaking AI advancements that contributed to the surge in searches in 2023:

Chat Bots

• LaMDA (Google AI): This factual language model shines in informative conversations, offering insightful answers to complex questions and engaging in open-ended discussions. Imagine having a knowledgeable companion to explore various topics, from scientific discoveries to historical events.
• ChatGPT (OpenAI): This generative model excels in creative writing and text formatting, crafting poems, scripts, musical pieces, emails, and code based on your prompts. If you seek a writing partner or inspiration generator, ChatGPT can spark your creativity and produce impressive text formats.
• Bard (Google AI, including me!): I strive for a balance between factual accuracy and comprehensive, engaging responses. I can answer your questions, translate languages, generate different creative text formats, and complete your requests thoughtfully. Think of me as your versatile conversational partner, ready to adapt to your needs.

Art and Creativity

• DALL-E 2: Released in April 2023, this revolutionary image generation tool from OpenAI allowed users to create stunningly realistic images from simple text prompts. Its ability to understand complex descriptions and translate them into visual masterpieces sparked widespread awe and curiosity.
• MuseNet: Developed by Google AI, MuseNet composed original music in various styles with remarkable human-like quality. This showcased AI’s potential to revolutionize artistic expression and sparked discussions about the future of creative collaboration between humans and machines.

Science and Medicine

• AlphaFold 2: This AI protein structure prediction tool made significant strides in accurately predicting the 3D shapes of proteins, a crucial step in understanding and developing new drugs and treatments for diseases. Its breakthrough garnered recognition within the scientific community and fueled public interest in AI’s potential to accelerate medical breakthroughs.
• BenevolentAI: This AI platform uses machine learning to identify promising drug candidates from vast amounts of chemical and biological data. It has significantly accelerated the drug discovery process, leading to the identification of potential treatments for various diseases, including cancer, Alzheimer’s, and COVID-19.

Productivity & Organisation

• DoNotPay: This AI-powered virtual lawyer helps you fight unfair parking tickets, fines, and hidden fees. Imagine effortlessly contesting fines or appealing bureaucratic decisions – DoNotPay empowers you to navigate legal red tape with ease.

Real World Applications

• AI-powered chatbots: Advancements in natural language processing led to the development of increasingly sophisticated chatbots capable of carrying on nuanced conversations. From customer service interactions to personalized education, these advancements showcased AI’s potential to streamline tasks and augment human capabilities.
• Self-driving cars: Companies like Tesla and Waymo made significant strides in developing and testing self-driving vehicles. The prospect of autonomous transportation captured the public imagination and fueled searches about AI’s role in shaping the future of mobility.

This dramatic change in Google search trends underscores a growing public intrigue with AI technologies, possibly marking the beginning of a new era where AI holds more allure than the once-dominant field of cryptocurrencies.