OpenAI, the company behind the popular AI chatbot ChatGPT, is gearing up to launch a new artificial intelligence-powered search engine on Monday. The move is seen as a direct challenge to Google’s dominance in the search engine market, with the announcement coming just a day before Google’s I/O 2024 developer conference.
A Strategic Launch
According to reports from Bloomberg and other publications, OpenAI, in collaboration with Microsoft, plans to launch a search engine that will rival Google and Perplexity. The timing is strategic, with Google hosting its annual developer conference on May 14, where it typically announces its biggest innovations for the year.
AI-Powered Search
The new search engine will leverage AI to provide users with answers to their questions. Unlike traditional search engines that list links to relevant websites, OpenAI’s search engine will allow users to ask questions directly to ChatGPT, and the chatbot will respond with answers that include citations from various online sources like news articles, blog posts, Wikipedia, and more. Additionally, the search engine will be capable of displaying images when the query requires it.
This new approach to search could revolutionize the way users interact with search engines, offering more context and direct answers rather than a list of search results.
ChatGPT’s Rise and Fall
ChatGPT, OpenAI’s AI chatbot, made headlines when it became the fastest application to achieve 100 million monthly active users following its debut in 2022. However, recent data shows that its user traffic has been declining, primarily due to the chatbot’s inability to provide real-time information.
To address this limitation, OpenAI introduced ChatGPT plug-ins to enable real-time data access, but the plug-ins were discontinued in April. The new search engine launch could be OpenAI’s way of providing users with the real-time information they have been seeking.
No Official Comment from OpenAI
While the reports suggest that OpenAI will launch its search engine on Monday, the company has not officially confirmed the date or commented on the launch. However, given the timing and the strategic move to rival Google, industry experts are watching closely to see how OpenAI’s new search engine will impact the market.
The launch of an AI-powered search engine from OpenAI could mark a significant shift in the search engine landscape, offering a more interactive and AI-driven approach to answering user queries. As the competition heats up, Google’s response to this new development will be closely monitored.
