S3E13.1 - Intentional AI: What the rise of conversational search means for your website
Get the full intelligence
Search transcripts, export clips, track mentions, and explore all topics from “S3E13.1 - Intentional AI: What the rise of conversational search means for your website” inside PodZeus.
In this special episode of *Discussing Stupid: A byte-sized podcast on stupid UX*, hosts Virgil and Cole welcome Will Noble from Squiz to explore the transformative shift toward conversational search powered by AI. Will, an expert in enterprise search and information discovery, explains how AI is evolving beyond traditional keyword-based search to deliver answer-centered experiences—akin to asking a librarian for a concise summary instead of being directed to multiple books. The conversation highlights the immense potential of AI to democratize access to information, especially for non-experts, while also underscoring critical risks like hallucinations, outdated content, and the 'garbage in, garbage out' principle. The hosts and guest emphasize that organizations must approach AI integration intentionally—starting small with high-impact content slices rather than attempting full-scale overhauls. They also discuss how LLMs can automate content audits, enabling teams to identify and fix problematic content at scale. Finally, they reflect on the rapid pace of AI advancement and how cloud-based, SaaS-driven platforms allow organizations to stay current without costly, slow upgrades. Key takeaways include: 1) Start small with conversational search by focusing on high-traffic, high-value content areas; 2) Prioritize content quality and clarity to reduce hallucinations and improve AI accuracy; 3) Use AI to automate content audits and surface hidden issues; 4) Treat AI-powered search as an evolution of promoted results, not a replacement for traditional search; 5) Partner with vendors who provide automatic model updates to stay current. The episode concludes with a strong endorsement of intentional, incremental AI adoption over grand, risky rollouts.
Start small with conversational search by focusing on high-impact content areas like student life or customer support.
Content quality is critical—poorly written or outdated content leads to AI hallucinations and reputational risk.
Use AI to automate content audits and identify issues at scale, reducing the burden on human teams.
Treat AI-powered search as an evolution of promoted results, not a full replacement for traditional search.
Partner with vendors that offer automatic model updates to stay current without costly upgrades.
Introducing the First Guest: Will Noble from Squiz
The hosts introduce Will Noble, a longtime colleague and expert in enterprise search at Squiz, as the first guest on the podcast. They set the stage for a discussion on the future of conversational search and AI.
The Evolution of Search: From Pages to Answers
“You don't have to understand how to search large corpuses of content. You don't have to be an expert in search operators... We're now moving to a world where all of that kind of complexity just erodes away.”
The Risks of AI: Hallucinations and Garbage In, Garbage Out
“If your content structure or the way that you write about what you do isn't clear, isn't just the what, the how, the why, then an LLM has to infer what you can do and can't do. And that's why it hallucinates.”
Starting Small: A Practical Approach to AI Search
“Start small. Don't go big. Don't just run the whole LLM over all of your content because then from a political standpoint, you'll never get it off the ground.”
AI as a Tool for Content Audits and Quality Improvement
The hosts explore how LLMs can automate content audits, identifying missing information, poor structure, and brand guideline violations—tasks that were previously too tedious for humans to sustain.
“If your content structure or the way that you write about what you do isn't clear, isn't just the what, the how, the why, then an LLM has to infer what you can do and can't do. And that's why it hallucinates.”
“Start small. Don't go big. Don't just run the whole LLM over all of your content because then from a political standpoint, you'll never get it off the ground.”
“You don't have to understand how to search large corpuses of content. You don't have to be an expert in search operators... We're now moving to a world where all of that kind of complexity just erodes away.”
Hosts
Guest
Will Noble
person
LLM
other
Squiz
organization
Virgil
person
Cole
person
University
organization
organization
High Monkeys
organization
Anthropic
organization
ChatGPT
organization
Get the full intelligence
Search transcripts, export clips, track mentions, and explore all topics from “S3E13.1 - Intentional AI: What the rise of conversational search means for your website” inside PodZeus.
Start discovering podcast insights today
Start with a 7-day trial and explore a growing catalog of popular podcasts. No credit card required.
No credit card required • 7-day trial • Cancel anytime