In a bold move, OpenAI announced the launch of SearchGPT, a revolutionary AI search engine designed to compete directly with Google’s dominance in online search. Currently in testing for select users, SearchGPT merges OpenAI’s advanced AI with real-time web information, allowing users to search conversationally, similar to interacting with ChatGPT. OpenAI plans to integrate SearchGPT into ChatGPT in the future.
This new tool challenges Google’s long-held monopoly and poses a threat to Microsoft’s Bing, which also uses OpenAI’s technology. SearchGPT enables users to ask questions in natural language and receive precise, up-to-date answers, complete with relevant online links.
A demo video from OpenAI shows SearchGPT answering queries about the “best tomatoes to grow in Minnesota” with detailed information and links to sources like “The Garden Magazine” and “The Gardening Dad.” A sidebar offers additional links, reminiscent of Google’s traditional search results.
“Getting answers on the web can take a lot of effort, often requiring multiple attempts to get relevant results,” OpenAI stated in a blog post. “By enhancing our models with real-time web information, finding what you’re looking for can be faster and easier.”
The launch of SearchGPT could solidify generative AI as the future of online search, despite challenges like AI’s tendency to assert false information. OpenAI’s move follows Google’s brief use of AI-generated summaries, which faced criticism for inaccuracies and concerns from news publishers about reduced web traffic.
OpenAI has addressed similar concerns by partnering with publishers to manage their content’s appearance in SearchGPT’s results. Sites can appear in SearchGPT even if they opt out of contributing content for training OpenAI’s models.
As OpenAI refines SearchGPT, it marks a significant step towards an AI-powered future for online search, potentially transforming how we interact with information on the web.