Ask Jeeves was a search engine launched in 1996 that allowed users to ask questions in natural language. It aimed to provide more intuitive search results by interpreting user queries rather than relying solely on keywords. The service featured a butler named Jeeves, who symbolized the helpfulness of the platform. Over time, Ask Jeeves evolved and rebranded as Ask.com, shifting its focus to a more traditional search engine model. Despite its initial popularity, it struggled to compete with larger search engines like Google and eventually lost market share, leading to a decline in its usage.