OpenAI, an Artificial Intelligence company and maker of popular AI Chatbot ChatGPT, has stepped up competition in the search engine market, following the unveiling of its latest AI search engine, “SearchGPT”, that aims to give users fast and timely answers with clear and relevant sources.
Powered by OpenAl models (specifically GPT-3.5, GPT-4 and GPT-4o), SearchGPT aims to revolutionize how users find and interact with information online. OpenAl describes the search engine as a prototype which will first be launched to a small group users and publishers to get feedback.
Announcing the roll out of SearchGPT, OpenAI wrote via a blogpost,
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“We’re testing SearchGPT, a prototype of new search features designed to combine the strength of our Al models with information from the web to give you fast and timely answers with clear and relevant sources. We’re launching to a small group of users and publishers to get feedback. While this prototype is temporary, we plan to integrate the best of these features directly into ChatGPT in the future.
“Getting answers on the web can take a lot of effort, often requiring multiple attempts to get relevant results. We believe that by enhancing the conversational capabilities of our models with real-time information from the web, finding what you’re looking for can be faster and easier.”
OpenAI further notes that SearchGPT will quickly and directly respond to users questions with up-to-date information from the web, while giving them clear links to relevant sources. Also, users will be able to ask follow-up questions like they would in a conversation with a person, with the shared context building with each query.
SearchGPT is designed to offer natural language interactions, allowing users to ask questions conversationally and receive direct, comprehensive answers rather than just a list of links. This new search engine will utilize advanced Al models, likely based on variations of GPT-4, and will integrate features like image search, weather widgets, calculators, and real-time updates on various topics such as sports and finance.
Notably, the search engine is designed to help users connect with publishers by prominently citing and linking to them in searches. Responses have clear, in-line, named attribution and links so users know where information is coming from and can quickly engage with even more results in a sidebar with source links. OpenAI announced that it has partnered with publishers to build this experience and continue to seek their feedback.
In addition to launching the SearchGPT prototype, the company is also launching a way for publishers to manage how they appear in SearchGPT, so publishers have more choices.
The launch of SearchGPT will no doubt intensify competition in the search industry currently dominated by Google, as the search engine aims to address the limitations of traditional search engines and even current Al models by providing real-time data and reducing the reliance on historical information.
The rollout could have implications for Google and its dominant search engine. Since the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, Alphabet investors have been concerned that OpenAl could take market share from Google in search by giving consumers new ways to seek information online. It is worth noting that shares of Google’s parent company Alphabet ended 3% lower on Thursday after OpenAI’s announcement of SearchGPT.
However, as Google continues to refine its algorithms and prioritize ‘helpful content’, questions about the reliability and bias of AI-generated results remain pressing.
LinkedIn Summary
OpenAI, whose ChatGPT assistant kicked off an artificial intelligence arms race, is now pursuing a slice of the search industry. The company has unveiled a prototype of SearchGPT, an AI-powered search engine that is widely viewed as a play for rival Google’s $175 billion-per-year search business. But while Google’s use of AI in search results has been met with concern and resistance from publishers, SearchGPT touts its heavy use of citations and was developed alongside publishing partners, including Axel-Springer and the Financial Times. After seeing results to their queries, users will be able to ask follow-up questions in interactions that resemble those with ChatGPT.
- A 10,000 person wait list was opened Thursday for a those wanting to test a prototype of the SearchGPT service.
- Though currently distinct, SearchGPT will eventually be integrated into ChatGPT.