It’s been a real learning journey mastering Google Ads to promote MarcB IT and reach more people online. But just yesterday, news broke that sent shockwaves through the tech world: Google’s shares tumbled on reports that Apple may replace Google as the default search engine on iPhones — possibly with an upstart AI competitor.
I read that Google currently pays Apple around $20 billion a year for that privilege.
As someone who uses digital tools daily — for both marketing and troubleshooting — I’ve started noticing a shift myself. I’ve been using ChatGPT more frequently for a variety of queries, and in many cases, the responses are more comprehensive and helpful than what I find through a traditional Google search. That said, Google’s Gemini has also been stepping up, offering more nuanced responses directly within search results.
I’ve found ChatGPT so useful, in fact, that I now subscribe to the paid version. For example, when I needed to adjust a setting on my website to prevent my own visits from being counted as views, Google directed me to generic WordPress support pages. ChatGPT, on the other hand, provided a clear, direct answer right away.
That said, it’s not always perfect. There have been times — like when I was troubleshooting a Windows Server 2022 issue — when the AI led me down a winding path of settings that ultimately didn’t resolve the problem. So I’ve learned to be selective about which AI-generated solutions I apply and to always verify them against my own experience.
Now that ChatGPT is ubiquitous, more and more people are using it to answer their tech questions. That means even users who may not have felt comfortable with IT before are starting to troubleshoot their own devices.
That may be the new reality — but it also opens new opportunities for tech professionals like me. Instead of sifting through endless Microsoft Knowledge Base articles, I can now rely on AI platforms that do the heavy lifting of analysis, offering me a clearer, faster path to a solution. It helps me resolve issues for clients more efficiently and accurately, saving them time and frustration.
At the end of the day, tools like ChatGPT don’t replace technicians — they enhance what we do. And as I shift focus back to preparing for my CompTIA Network+ certification, I’m thinking about how this AI-assisted future can actually help me serve clients even better.
Staying sharp as a technician means adapting, learning, and knowing when to ask the right questions — whether it’s to a search engine, an AI platform, or the hardware itself.
