By C. Perera, JadeTimes News
OpenAI is enhancing its artificial intelligence bot with new capabilities, aiming to surpass Google as the preferred search engine. The company announced it is trialing a search feature that integrates real time information into its ChatGPT product, enabling the bot to provide up to date answers and links to user queries. Currently, this tool is available to a limited number of users in the US, but it is expected to be fully integrated into ChatGPT, which sparked widespread interest in AI when it debuted in 2022.
Backed by Microsoft, OpenAI has introduced various tools for coding, video creation, data analysis, and image generation. The new search tool will allow users to ask follow up questions to their initial queries. "Getting answers on the web can take a lot of effort, often requiring multiple attempts to get relevant results," OpenAI stated in its announcement. "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."
Analysts have long predicted that AI chatbots represent the future of search. This area is currently highly profitable for Google, which is also rapidly developing its own AI powered tools. Following OpenAI's announcement, shares in Google's parent company, Alphabet, dropped nearly 3%.
Although other AI companies are developing search products, Google still dominates the global market with over 90% share. The expansion of AI has raised environmental concerns due to the significant energy consumption of these systems. Additionally, the shift from providing links to offering conversational responses has alarmed news companies that depend on search traffic for audience and revenue.
OpenAI stated it is collaborating with publishers, including the Atlantic and News Corp, on the new search feature. "We are committed to a thriving ecosystem of publishers and creators," the company said. "In addition to launching the SearchGPT prototype, we are also launching a way for publishers to manage how they appear in SearchGPT, so publishers have more choices."
The company has faced lawsuits from media organizations, including the New York Times, for allegedly "stealing" content to train its systems. However, it has also formed partnerships with outlets like the Associated Press. OpenAI confirmed that media companies could still be featured in their search results, even if they decline to provide material for training its model.
