OpenAI’s new SearchGPT prototype aims to chip away at Google’s dominance in web search by leveraging generative AI and partnerships with publishers to provide users with more efficient and conversational search results.
Key details of SearchGPT: OpenAI has revealed limited information about its new search engine prototype, which is designed to help users find information more quickly and easily:
- SearchGPT uses generative AI to gather links and provide answers to user queries in a conversational manner, potentially integrating with the popular ChatGPT chatbot in the future.
- The search engine will draw upon information from the broader web as well as data provided by partner publishers who have signed deals with OpenAI.
- OpenAI has already given access to unnamed partners and publishers, incorporating their feedback to improve the search tool.
Navigating the competitive landscape of AI search: As OpenAI enters the search market, it faces competition from established players and startups alike:
- Microsoft, an investor in OpenAI, was among the first to launch a generative AI search engine with its AI-powered Bing in 2023, which has since been rebranded as Microsoft Copilot.
- Google has introduced AI Overviews, which provide AI-generated summaries of articles in news results, while Perplexity offers a chatbot that provides relevant links and allows for follow-up questions.
- OpenAI’s SearchGPT appears to use a retrieval augmented generation (RAG) approach, an industry standard designed to reduce hallucinations in chatbot answers by referencing trusted information sources.
Addressing potential challenges and criticisms: As OpenAI ventures into the search market, it must navigate issues related to copyright, reliability, and the shift to commercialization:
- Some publications have criticized AI search tools like Perplexity for copying original journalism without permission, but OpenAI has emphasized its commitment to citing and linking to publishers prominently.
- The company has signed licensing agreements with several media companies, including Vox Media, The Atlantic, News Corp, and The Financial Times.
- Providing a measurably better search tool than what users are accustomed to is a significant challenge, as evidenced by the early struggles of Microsoft’s AI-powered Bing and Google’s AI Overviews.
- OpenAI’s pivot from focusing on artificial general intelligence to more commercial ventures may require a different mindset and present new challenges for the company.
Broader implications for OpenAI and the search industry: The launch of SearchGPT represents a significant move for OpenAI as it seeks new revenue streams and aims to counter Google’s dominance in search:
- Despite the success of ChatGPT, OpenAI is projected to lose $5 billion this year due to the costs associated with training larger AI models, hiring staff, and launching commercial offerings.
- Entering the search market could help OpenAI diversify its revenue sources and compete with Google, which has developed its own ChatGPT competitor called Gemini and is integrating AI technology into its various products and services.
- The success of SearchGPT and other AI search tools will depend on their ability to provide reliable, high-quality results while respecting intellectual property rights and navigating the challenges of commercialization in a rapidly evolving industry.
SearchGPT Is OpenAI's Direct Assault on Google
