OpenAI might unveil its Google Search competitor a day before Google I/O, all you need to know
Technology OpenAI might unveil its Google Search competitor a day before Google I/O, all you need to know
ChatGPT parent OpenAI is reportedly planning to venture into the online search space, potentially posing a challenge to Google. The company’s new AI-powered search product could be announced as early as next week, a day before Google I/O.
In Short
- OpenAI is reportedly planning to launch a search product that could compete with Google
- The AI-powered search product is expected to be announced as soon as Monday
- The new search capability will allow users to pose questions and receive answers that draw on relevant internet content
When it comes to artificial intelligence (AI), most people would say that they got interested in the concept after the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT. The chatbot, with its human-like answers and too-good-to-be-true abilities, took the internet by storm in 2022. ChatGPT quickly became a worldwide sensation and people started putting the new toy in town to test. Some asked it to compose poetry, some asked it for life advice, some asked it to come up with fictional stories…the list is endless. However, as time passed, various other companies began rolling out their own AI chatbots and OpenAI is currently facing a lot of competition from the likes of Google’s Gemini, Anthropic’s Claude, X’s GrokAI, etc. In such a scenario, the company is reportedly planning to tap into a market dominated by Google — the online search space.
Reports about OpenAI planning a Google search competitor have been doing rounds for a long time. And now, as per a report in Reuters, OpenAI might announce its AI-powered Search product as soon as Monday. Two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters about the development which is expected to happen on May 13. Coincidentally, this is exactly a day before Google’s annual I/O event where the tech giant is expected to make some major AI-related announcements.
However, the report adds that the date might also change and OpenAI declined to comment on the rumours.
A Bloomberg report had earlier mentioned that this new search capability will substantially increase ChatGPT’s utility. Users will have the ability to pose questions and receive answers that not only draw on relevant internet content but also include citations from sources such as Wikipedia or various blogs. Additionally, the feature is expected to incorporate visual aids like diagrams to further enrich the guidance provided.
Interestingly, ever since ChatGPT was launched, it has been viewed as a competitor to Google Search as people assumed that asking ChatGPT and getting a direct answer would be much easier than going through those blue links. However, due to the chatbot’s inaccuracies, this never really happened as people had to cross-check information provided by ChatGPT before believing it to be true. A small disclaimer right below the prompt box in ChatGPT says, “ChatGPT can make mistakes. Check important info.”
If OpenAI does launch a search product soon, it will be interesting to see how it competes with Google in the Search market. The Sundar Pichai-led tech giant is undoubtedly the king of the online search space and even Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella had earlier acknowledged that by calling Google the “800-pound gorilla” in the search space.
Originally published at https://www.indiatoday.in on May 10, 2024.
