ChatGPT maker is set to reveal a new search product to rival Google...
The creators of ChatGPT are poised to release a new search product to rival Google, according to reports. The new feature, expected to be confirmed by Microsoft-backed OpenAI on Monday, will allow users to search the web via the popular chatbot. The details of how this will function have not been revealed, but it is likely that the AI will search the web for users and generate results based on what it finds. For example, this could let users ask ChatGPT a question and receive much more detailed answers that cite web sources like Wikipedia or online blogs. If true, it could present the biggest challenge yet to Google's search engine supremacy.
New Search Tool Expected
The company behind the AI chatbot ChatGPT is reportedly preparing to launch a new search tool this Monday to rival Google. According to insiders quoted by Bloomberg and The Information, it may be the biggest change to the ChatGPT tool so far. Currently, with the paid version of ChatGPT, users can access real-time information – but this is only due to an integration with Microsoft's search engine Bing.
Enhanced Search Capabilities
It's expected that with the new feature, ChatGPT will be able to source and return up-to-date search results more independently of Bing – potentially for all users, not just paid. ChatGPT is a large language model that lets users enter text questions and receive replies on almost any possible topic. Since its launch in November 2022, the San Francisco-based company has rapidly risen to be one of the biggest names in AI. However, ChatGPT's responses are currently limited for most users by a lack of access to live internet data. ChatGPT can refer users to online search results for some queries – such as the current weather – but this service is limited to paying customers. The 'Browse with Bing' service, introduced in 2023, lets the AI search through live web results to return more up-to-date information.
Competition with Google
The release will reportedly come on the eve of Google's I/O event at which the search giant is expected to reveal details of its own new AI features. According to Bloomberg, this new version of the product will deliver relevant images alongside text results – such as diagrams to accompany technical instructions.
Emergence of AI Search Tools
From students to lawyers, many people are already turning to AI to provide facts and information they may have previously searched Google for. Dedicated AI-powered search tools have now emerged, such as Perplexity AI which was launched in 2022. Perplexity AI, which recently gained a $1 billion valuation, has gathered about 10 million monthly users with its own AI-powered search tool. These figures may seem small compared to Google's one billion daily users, but Alphabet does appear to be concerned nonetheless. In a meeting reported by CNBC last month, Google senior vice president Prabhakar Raghavan told employees: 'It’s not like life is going to be hunky-dory, forever.' Mr. Raghavan added: 'If there’s a clear and present market reality, we need to twitch faster, like the athletes twitch faster.'
Last year, Google launched its own AI, Gemini, as a rival to ChatGPT but the chatbot has been plagued with issues. This culminated with Google pausing the Gemini AI after it was accused of replacing white historical figures, including Nazi soldiers, with people of color.
OpenAI did not respond to inquiries about the new search feature.
