AOL no longer uses ODP data
Looks like we don't apply the term "uses" in exactly the same way. What is correct is that AOL doesn't directly return directory listings any more when you use the search box. So you could say that the ODP data is presented in a less prominent way than it was the case in the past.
But AOL has never stopped using ODP data at all. If you go to
http://search.aol.com/ , then the ODP categories are displayed very prominently smack in the middle of the screen. And if you do any search, then you will get a "Narrow Your Search" section below the direct returns, which leads you to the relevant ODP categories. How would you call this, if not "using ODP data"?
Google does not return its results from ODP data, but from its own database.
On Google, the situation is somewhat similar. In fact, it's even more useful, as the search results contains directory entries that are explicitly marked as such, and you have an easy choice of searching the normal Google index, the ODP data, their image index, or the Usenet archive, switching between them with one click. Isn't it great to have a choice?
Nobody claimed that the ODP had completely taken over the Google search results. We have better things to do. /images/icons/wink.gif But it's definitively to the advantage of Google's users, that they use the ODP data in a way that strongly influences most searches.