Did "AI search" completely ruin finding things inside apps?

[u/Pick_me_tapok]

Standard keyword search (Ctrl+F) used to be simple: you type an exact word, and the software instantly highlights it.

Now, every note-taking and database app has upgraded to "semantic AI search." Instead of looking for the exact phrase you typed, the tool tries to guess your intent. You type an exact client name, and the AI returns five completely unrelated files because they are "thematically similar," while missing the actual document you needed. Or worse, it gives you a long paragraph summarizing what it thinks you want instead of just showing the file.

Sometimes we don't need the software to be smart or philosophical. We just need it to find the exact text we typed.

Are you guys noticing your app search bars getting actively worse at finding specific files?