After seemingly being beaten to the punch by other companies launching artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots, Alphabet's (NASDAQ: GOOG) (NASDAQ: GOOGL) patience may have paid off. Microsoft's Bing chatbot has been criticized for giving answers to questions that are quite disturbing, including reportedly telling one user he should leave his wife.

Still, the damage was done to Alphabet's stock, with it only up 6% year to date, which lags the Nasdaq Composite's 10% return. However, this is a short-sighted argument, and individual investors should be focused on the long term. So let's look at where Alphabet might be in three years -- the conclusion may surprise you.

While Alphabet has multiple revenue streams, its primary business boils down to three segments: advertising, "Google Other," and cloud computing. Advertising makes up most of the business, generating 78% of the revenue during Alphabet's fourth quarter. Thanks to the challenging economic environment, this segment fell 3.6% year over year as advertisers are tightening their budgets. This correlates strongly with a historical trend that as recessions approach, Alphabet's revenue growth grinds to a halt.

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Source Fool.com