# How does AI chat change search behaviors?

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2307.03826 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2307.03826/

## Key facts

- Cited by 5 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 7 Jul 2023.

## Built on by (most cited first, 5 of 5)

- [Advancing the Search Frontier with AI Agents](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.01235/) (2023)
- [Evaluating Generative Ad Hoc Information Retrieval](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.04694/) (2023)
- [Selenite: Scaffolding Online Sensemaking with Comprehensive Overviews Elicited from Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.02161/) (2023)
- [Untangling Critical Interaction with AI in Students Written Assessment](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.06955/) (2024)
- [Auditing Google's AI Overviews and Featured Snippets: A Case Study on Baby Care and Pregnancy](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2511.12920/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Generative AI tools such as chatGPT are poised to change the way people engage with online information. Recently, Microsoft announced their "new Bing" search system which incorporates chat and generative AI technology from OpenAI. Google has announced plans to deploy search interfaces that incorporate similar types of technology. These new technologies will transform how people can search for information. The research presented here is an early investigation into how people make use of a generative AI chat system (referred to simply as chat from here on) as part of a search process, and how the incorporation of chat systems with existing search tools may effect users search behaviors and strategies. We report on an exploratory user study with 10 participants who used a combined Chat+Search system that utilized the OpenAI GPT-3.5 API and the Bing Web Search v5 API. Participants completed three search tasks. In this pre-print paper of preliminary results, we report on ways that users integrated AI chat into their search process, things they liked and disliked about the chat system, their trust in the chat responses, and their mental models of how the chat system generated responses.