OpenAI is set to shake up the search landscape with the announcement of a new AI-powered search product on Monday, according to sources familiar with the matter.
This move intensifies competition with Google, the undisputed king of search engines.
While the exact details remain under wraps, OpenAI has confirmed a livestream event on Monday to showcase updates to its popular ChatGPT and GPT-4 products.
CEO Sam Altman further clarified that it won’t be a search engine or the much-anticipated GPT-5, but rather “new stuff” designed to impress users.
This strategic reveal has helped stabilize Alphabet’s stock price, which initially dipped following Reuters’ report.
The timing of the announcement is intriguing. It falls just a day before Google’s annual I/O conference, where the tech giant is expected to unveil its own advancements in AI.
OpenAI’s search product, rumoured to be an extension of ChatGPT, reportedly allows the chatbot to directly access and cite web information.
This addresses a key limitation of ChatGPT – its struggle with providing accurate and real-time online data.
OpenAI previously offered a paid integration with Bing for this purpose, but a dedicated search product could significantly change the game.
OpenAI isn’t the only player in the AI-powered search arena.
Perplexity, a well-funded startup founded by a former OpenAI researcher, has gained traction with its AI-native interface that displays citations, images, and text in search results.
Boasting 10 million monthly active users, Perplexity poses a serious challenge.
However, OpenAI’s ChatGPT previously held the record for the fastest-growing application, reaching 100 million monthly active users after its late 2022 launch.
Despite this initial success, OpenAI needs to solidify its user base and address concerns about ChatGPT’s website traffic, which has experienced a volatile year.
OpenAI’s previous attempt to integrate real-world information into ChatGPT, called “ChatGPT plugins,” was discontinued in April.
The upcoming announcement on Monday will reveal whether OpenAI has successfully addressed these shortcomings and can offer a viable alternative to Google Search.
With Google likely to showcase its own AI advancements at I/O, the coming week promises to be a pivotal moment in the evolution of search technology.
