Google's biggest threat yet is now SearchGPT which will be launched by OpenAI. On July 25, 2024 OpenAI announced their plan to launch a search engine that can rival Google's. Shares of Google were 1.4% lower at $170.20 in intraday trading Thursday following the news.

"We’re testing SearchGPT, a prototype of new search features designed to combine the strength of our AI models with information from the web to give you fast and timely answers with clear and relevant sources," OpenAI said in a release.

The search engine is currently still in a testing phase, but OpenAI hopes to integrate it into ChatGPT soon. Google, for years, has dominated the searching domain, and now they finally have some competition. When ChatGPT was released November of 2022, Google had struggled to be in the AI race. SearchGPT is not only a threat to Google, but alos Microsoft Bing, which was created by Microsoft to also compete with Google. 

How It Works?

Unlike ChatGPT, which relies on older data to form responses, SearchGPT is being updated in real time. It can direct users to links that have more "clear and relevant sources." For example, in a demo video of a working model of SearchGPT, a user asked for the "best tomatoes to grow in Minnesota" with information about the variety of tomatoes, and SearchGPT provided the user with links to sites like "The Garden Magazine" and "The Gardening Dad." In addition to this, SearchGPT also has a toolbar on the side that has additional links to websites related to the search, which is similar to the links Google displays when a question is asked.

Open AI states that, "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." 

Partnerships:

OpenAI stated that they were "committed to a thriving ecosystem of publishers and creators." They hope that with more users and creators there will be a spread of content and knowledge everywhere. Their AI is going to enhance that learning experience as well as provide a strong base for knowledge to spread. 

“AI search is going to become one of the key ways that people navigate the internet, and it's crucial, in these early days, that the technology is built in a way that values, respects, and protects journalism and publishers. We look forward to partnering with OpenAI in the process, and creating a new way for readers to discover The Atlantic.”

Nicholas Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic and partner of OpenAI

Publishers who use OpenAI have the option to manage how their content appears on SearchGPT, which allows them to have more options and their own preferences. SearchGPT is about search which is separate from training OpenAI’s generative AI models. Sites can be surfaced in search results even if they opt out of generative AI training. 

“Sam and the truly talented team at OpenAI innately understand that for AI-powered search to be effective, it must be founded on the highest-quality, most reliable information furnished by trusted sources. For the heavens to be in equilibrium, the relationship between technology and content must be symbiotic and provenance must be protected.”

Robert Thomson, Chief Executive, News Corp and partner of OpenAI

Cause for Concern:

The OpenAI search engine could solidify generative AI — technology that can create original text, as well as other types of media — as the future of answering questions online. After Google and others have experimented with early efforts to incorporate chatbots and AI-generated answers into the search experience, it is not without doubt if this future is assured. Given AI tools’ inclination to assert false information with no indication, it may be incorrect or misleading.

OpenAI’s new tool is introduced as Google, in May, produced new AI-generated summaries to top some search results pages so users don’t have to click through multiple links to get answers to their questions. However, they quickly pulled back on this feature after it provided false, and in some cases totally nonsensical, information.

The failure of Google’s tool also raised concerns among some news publishers, who worried that the AI summaries could destroy their web traffic by removing the need for users to visit their sites to get information — and similar concerns could arise with OpenAI’s search engine.

Citation:

Buchanan, Naomi. “How OpenAI’s New ‘SearchGPT’ Could Compete With Google.” Investopedia, Investopedia, 25 July 2024, https://www.investopedia.com/how-openai-new-searchgpt-could-compete-with-google-8683739. Accessed 24 August 2024.

Duffy, Clare. “OpenAI is taking on Google with a new artificial intelligence search engine.” CNN, CNN, 26 July 2024, https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/25/tech/openai-artificial-intelligence-ai-search-engine/index.html. Accessed 24 August 2024.

OpenAI. “SearchGPT Prototype.” OpenAI, OpenAI, 25 July 2024, https://openai.com/index/searchgpt-prototype/. Accessed 24 August 2024.