Why would anyone think it would work? It’s a stupid idea.

It's not about whether it works, it's about proving that they're keeping pace with the trends in technology that they're not directly driving.

They're afraid that if they don't give that impression, their stockholders will pull their money and give it to someone who does, and since that's what their stockholders also fear about all the other stockholders, that's what will happen.

AI funding is so far up it's own backside I'm not sure they'll hear the cry of the small child pointing out that the Emperor has no clothes on.

That sounds right. But it makes no practical sense. Everybody relies on Google search. That’s a huge part of what makes them powerful. They shouldn’t screw with it, and that’s not a moral statement about what they owe to users, it’s just about self-interest. Ruining your own base product is idiotic.