Nitpicky maybe, but I think "someone had to show them" is a little off the mark. Google had no incentive to start using AI to deliver answers, because Search was making lots of money. It's not that "someone had to", it's that "someone did". And when they did, Google pivoted.

>They were late to commercialize it... someone else had to show them how first. As a result they are playing catch up, and they will at best be one of many players, for the foreseeable future, as opposed to a monopoly.

This isn't a hype cycle they need to catch. It's the final technology. Steady and stable will win here.

A few months head start won’t make much difference in the long run. They have already taken the lead according to many benchmarks.