The Delphic Costs of Finding Answers

Imagine every time you had a really important question, you had to embark on an epic journey. You’d trek across mountains, ford rivers, maybe even sail across oceans, all to find an answer from that one wise person – the oracle. And not only would you face this arduous travel, but you’d also have to bring a special gift, a token of appreciation for their sage advice.

That’s essentially what it was like in the 8th century BC when people sought guidance from the Oracle of Delphi. The travel, the gifts – they were all “costs” associated with obtaining wisdom from the Oracle. People were willing to “pay” these costs for valuable information and answers.

Now, let’s fast-forward to today. We’ve gotten used to a much easier way of finding information. For the past 20 years, our go-to “oracle” has been Google to find the information we seek. But, has it really gotten easier to find that information? In some ways until recently, it has felt like it’s become more complicated.

Remember the early days of Google where results were presented as just a list of blue links and ads? You typed in your question, and then it was up to you to sift through pages of results. Over time, Google tried to make it simpler by offering featured snippets, knowledge cards, “people also ask” boxes and related questions. (And, yes, I’ve always suspected part of this strategy was to keep the searcher on Google longer to encourage ad clicks, rather than purely for altruistic reasons.)

Think about how someone has had to find health information using Google:

• Trying to decide exactly what to type into the search bar to find the right information to answer a particular question

• Clicking on blue link after blue link and reading through content to better understand the topic in question

• Understanding medical jargon and terminology, especially if the health condition is complex and patients are finding information that is more technical in nature, rather than in lay-speak

• Evaluating whether the sources they have found are accurate, trustworthy and effectively able to convey their meaning

• Determining whether there is any misinformation or contradictory information in the sources

Until recently, this has been a rough process – one that has spawned an entire industry of SEO and content agencies that have helped organizations surface information wherever possible to capture organic traffic from harried and frustrated answer-seekers. These agencies have found success because in the last 20 years, it’s actually become more difficult to find answers on Google and they could trade on these difficulties to assist organizations.

Recently, there’s been a shift in how technologies are delivering information to searchers. Just as Google attempted to reduce clicks on blue links and provide answers in summaries, knowledge cards and featured snippets over the years, the rise of conversational AI through ChatGPT and AI Overviews has changed the game. They have reduced the “Delphic Costs” of finding information. This phrase was used in a paper from 2023 describing the changes search has gone through in the last few years and relating how there were significant costs to finding an answer via search. Suddenly, these new platforms made finding answers nearly effortless: no more digging through endless links. Now, people could find a simple, concise summary, and that was enough.

All of the above-listed steps? Not necessary anymore. Before conversational AI, these searches were a huge undertaking. People spent so much time and energy just trying to verify health information. Now, with ChatGPT, Gemini or even AI Mode or AI Overviews, the machines do the heavy lifting now. The Delphic Costs have plummeted and while patients might be happier, this shift has major implications for healthcare organizations.

Think about it: Humans are naturally drawn to the path of least resistance. They want quick, straightforward answers, especially when they’re feeling ill. The lower the Delphic Costs, the more satisfied they are. And platforms like ChatGPT and Google are racing to reduce those costs because it keeps people coming back. But are healthcare organizations following suit?

Finding anything on a website or via search required high effort for low reward. Finding information via conversational AI platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini or even an AI Overview requires low effort for high reward. Humans will always opt for low effort, high reward activities.

This shift demands a change in how we think about the experience. We need to make everything frictionless and as low-effort as possible:

• Booking appointments

• Finding a doctor

• Interactions on voice devices

• Conversations on platforms like ChatGPT

And it's not just humans we need to consider appeasing. We’re moving towards a world where agents will demand the lowest Delphic Costs of all. In our lifetime, we will see a shift from a person booking an appointment to an agent – a machine! – booking an appointment on behalf of the patient. That agent will not tolerate friction.

Google has told us that this year it plans to work toward “Google doing the Googling for you.” This means decreasing the Delphic Costs for someone finding information and undoubtedly less traffic to your website. For those who do visit your site, you need to understand:

• How much does that visitor already know when they arrive?

• What does that site visitor want to do when they get to you?

• How do they want to take action? (voice, chat, online scheduling?)

We need to help people find the right information and empower them in this new “effortless” search era. Assume they’re already informed when they reach you. And assume that sometimes, it won’t be a human at all – it will be a machine.

Our challenge now is to provide the best patient experience possible. Aim to keep the Delphic Costs low on your properties to reinforce the behavior that humans already exhibit: the easier, the better.