← Ai4 2026 collection
Field Note 07Ai4 2026
Evolving Yahoo From Search Engine to Answer Engine
Eric Feng
SVP & GM · Yahoo Research Group
Search & the Open Web · 11:17
Las Vegas · August 2026
Las Vegas · August 2026
How an answer engine can be useful and trustworthy without breaking the social contract that sustains the open web.
Watch
The question we asked
“How can AI deliver answers without undermining the open web?”
The Field Note
AI-generated answers make information more convenient, but they can also remove the reason a user has to visit the publishers who created the underlying work.
A sustainable answer engine needs clear attribution, referrals to original sources, and a product model that treats the open web as an ecosystem rather than a free input.
Three things to take away
- 01Every answer should make its sources visible.
- 02Convenience cannot come at the expense of the open web.
- 03Trustworthy AI search needs a durable relationship with publishers.