OpenAI’s Just Announced SearchGPT, an AI-Powered Search Engine

OpenAI has announced SearchGPT, its AI-powered search engine that organizes and summarizes search results, providing users with real-time access to information across the internet.

Key features and functionality: SearchGPT goes beyond traditional search engines by not only returning links but also attempting to make sense of the information it finds:

• Users enter their query into a large textbox, and SearchGPT responds with organized summaries, short descriptions, and attribution links.
• Follow-up questions can be asked, and a sidebar allows users to open other relevant links.
• A “visual answers” feature is mentioned, though details on how it works were not provided before publication.

Prototype launch and future plans: OpenAI is releasing SearchGPT as a prototype with limited access as it continues to develop and refine the product:

• The service, powered by GPT-4 models, will initially be accessible to only 10,000 test users.
• OpenAI is collaborating with third-party partners and using direct content feeds to build its search results.
• The company’s ultimate goal is to integrate SearchGPT’s features directly into ChatGPT.

Competitive landscape and implications: SearchGPT represents a potential challenge to established players in the search market and highlights the growing competition in AI-powered search:

• The announcement puts OpenAI in more direct competition with Google, which has been rushing to incorporate AI features into its search engine.
• It also rivals the startup Perplexity, an AI “answer” engine that has recently faced criticism for allegedly misusing publishers’ content.

Collaboration with news partners: OpenAI emphasizes its collaborative approach in developing SearchGPT, working closely with various news organizations to address concerns around content usage and attribution:

• News partners, including The Wall Street Journal, The Associated Press, and Vox Media, provided valuable feedback during development.
• Publishers will have the ability to manage how their content appears in OpenAI’s search features and can opt out of having their content used to train the AI models.
• SearchGPT is designed to prominently cite and link to publishers, ensuring users know the information’s origin and can easily engage with the sources.

Analyzing deeper: While SearchGPT has the potential to revolutionize the search experience, questions remain about its accuracy, monetization strategy, and impact on the broader search and AI industry:

• As a prototype, SearchGPT may face challenges in delivering consistently accurate results, as seen with the launch of similar AI-powered features like Google’s AI Overviews.
• With the service being offered for free during its initial launch and no apparent advertising model, OpenAI will need to address the substantial costs associated with AI training and inference.
• The release of SearchGPT is likely to intensify competition in the AI search space, potentially accelerating innovation but also raising concerns about the role of AI in shaping access to information online.