Google (not the AI part) is more like using a phone book where you can find the thing you are looking for and get the answers directly.

That’s the ideal but the reality today is the list of results aren’t what you searched for but what companies paid for you to see even if it isn’t relevant.

AI doesn’t yet have ads which is why it is useful. They are working hard to enshitify AI but for right now it’s better than Google at search.