Search Engines Don't Change Your Views—They Reinforce Them.

Search engines and generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT tend to reinforce users’ existing beliefs because people often use biased search terms that reflect their prior opinions. A large study found that this tendency limits exposure to diverse viewpoints, even after searching online. However, when participants were shown more balanced search results generated by a customized search engine, their attitudes shifted, suggesting that algorithmic adjustments could reduce confirmation bias and support more open-minded information seeking.