OpenAI, an artificial intelligence giant, is on the move to introduce new features in its ChatGPT in a move that many seem to think is poised to take over Google’s feet in the market. The company just rolled out news that it is testing a new search feature that will integrate real-time information with ChatGPT so that the bot can respond to queries with up-to-date information and links.
The new tool is currently available to a small number of US users, but it is expected to soon be incorporated into ChatGPT that caused a global sensation when it was launched in 2022. Supported by Microsoft, OpenAI has since introduced numerous tools including those for coding, video creation, data analysis, and image generation.
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What’s more, users will be able to ask follow-up questions based on their original queries, in a big advance toward making searching the web easier. “Getting answers on the web can be time-consuming, often requiring several searches before you find exactly what you’re looking for,” the company said in its announcement. “We think that adding to our conversational models real-time information from the web will make it easier and faster to find what you’re looking for.”
Analysts have long said that AI chatbots would be the future of search. Right now, that’s a highly lucrative business for Google, which is working quickly to add its own AI tools. Shares of Google’s parent company Alphabet dropped almost 3% on this announcement. Other AI companies are also developing search products, but more than 90% of the global market share is possessed by Google. Yet, there is a flip side to the fast proliferation of AI: these systems suck in colossal amounts of energy.
News organizations have also been worried by changes in how search engines answer queries, offering conversational text rather than guiding users to links. OpenAI said it plans to work with some publishers—including the Atlantic and News Corp—on the new search feature. “We are committed to fostering a thriving ecosystem of publishers and creators,” the company said. “We are also launching a way for publishers to manage their appearance in SearchGPT, giving them more choices.”
The company has previously been sued for allegedly “stealing” content to train its systems; most famously this was a lawsuit from the New York Times. It has also announced partnerships with some media outlets, including the Associated Press. OpenAI explained that media organizations are still entitled in their results even if they did not provide their consent to contribute their material for the training of the models.
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