Google’s “AI Overview” tool allows users to see answers generated by Gemini AI above traditional search results. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

AI upstarts were supposed to lay siege to Google’s search-engine dominance. So far, the defense is winning, writes Asa Fitch, following second-quarter results from parent company Alphabet.

A: Google’s ubiquitous search tool has proved surprisingly resilient to competition from the likes of OpenAI, which is hoping people will skip the search box and ask its chatbot for answers instead.

One of Google’s lines of defense has been its “AI Overview” tool, where users can see answers generated by its Gemini AI model hovering above their traditional search results. Google is also rolling out an “AI Mode” that competes more directly with chatbots.