Online search, dominated by Google for 25 years, has become as mundane as making a phone call, but it could finally be getting a profound reset thanks to artificial intelligence.

The classic search-and-click is getting a major AI makeover as bots ChatGPT, Bard or Bing see hundreds of millions of web surfers seek answers to life's questions in a new way.

"People are realizing how many times they use Google search, not to find a webpage, but to answer a question," said Stefan Sigg, Chief Product Officer at Germany-based Software AG.