OpenAI is reportedly set to unveil an AI-powered search engine on Monday, May 13th, putting it in direct competition with Google’s long-standing dominance in web search.
The timing seems intentionally provocative, coming just one day before Google’s I/O 2024 developer conference where the company will showcase its own AI models and search offerings.
Multiple reports indicate OpenAI has integrated search capabilities into its wildly popular ChatGPT chatbot. This would allow ChatGPT to fetch real-time web results and provide sources, addressing a key weakness of AI language models that sometimes hallucinate or generate inaccurate information without grounding in facts.
OpenAI Search vs Google Search Generative Experience (SGE)
The new product is expected to rival Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) which uses AI to summarize web content. It may also leverage Microsoft’s Bing search engine under the hood. However, details are still unclear on whether OpenAI’s AI search will be free, ad-supported, or bundled with the company’s $20/month ChatGPT Plus subscription.
The announcement timing seems squarely aimed at ruffling Google’s feathers ahead of its own AI event. Google has acknowledged the threat, with its search boss recently warning employees that the company must “twitch faster” amid rising generative AI competition like OpenAI and startups such as Perplexity.
The Trust Battle: Google vs OpenAI AI Search Accuracy
While Google has long been synonymous with web search, its iron grip is now being challenged as AI injects new capabilities and user expectations. The dueling companies are framing the battle as one centered around trust – with Google touting its long-standing reputation and OpenAI betting on the pure innovative prowess of AI models like ChatGPT to win over users.
OpenAI’s announcement on Monday will likely be the opening salvo in what could reshape how we navigate the internet’s information in a profound way. While AI’s readiness to displace traditional search is still uncertain, the competition has been put on notice.