An AI Search Crash Is Imminent

By Andy Kurtzig, CEO of Pearl.com

AI search platforms are barreling toward an inevitable crash. Billions are being burned on GPUs, yet these companies are barely scraping together millions in revenue. The math doesn’t lie: improving AI accuracy by just 10% could cost upwards of $1 trillion—a price tag no business can sustain. 

Meanwhile, the old monetization playbook is dead. Google search rakes in billions by sprinkling ads and sponsored links across results, but AI search eliminates links altogether. No links, no clicks, no money. 

The crash isn’t a question of if, but when. And when it hits, users won’t care about flashy tech—they’ll demand one thing: answers they can trust. Rising from the ashes will be platforms that can give users highly accurate, expert-level answers while eliminating legal risks. Platforms that survive will ditch the AI-or-nothing mentality. The rest? They’ll be remembered as just another bubble that burst.