OpenAI has announced that it is testing a search engine on a small group of users, and intends to integrate this functionality into ChatGPT, making this generative AI-based chatbot a competitor to Google.
Answers to queries through this engine, called SearchGPT, will combine elements of GPT-4 with information collected directly from the internet.
Since ChatGPT launched in November 2022, Alphabet investors have been concerned that OpenAI could take market share from Google in search by giving consumers new ways to search for information online.
Alphabet shares fell more than 3 percent on Thursday to close at $167.28, while the Nasdaq fell less than 1 percent.
SearchGPT
Unlike ChatGPT, which produces written answers without citing any other references, SearchGPT’s answers also include links to third-party sites that served as the source of the answer.
SearchGPT will thus be similar to the new search engine AI Overviews that Google announced in mid-May, and works on a similar principle.
OpenAI explained in a presentation posted online Thursday that SearchGPT is “designed to help users get closer to content creators by clearly citing and linking to websites.”
OpenAI said it has established partnerships with content publishers, which in particular enable them to choose how they appear in answers to queries.
OpenAI confirmed that SearchGPT may mention websites even if their owners have refused to allow their content to be used to develop generative AI interfaces like ChatGPT.
By mentioning direct links and references, ChatGPT becomes more like Google, which still dominates the search engine market almost entirely.
Although Microsoft has added generative AI to its Bing search engine, thanks to its partnership with OpenAI, Microsoft has not been able to take any market share away from Google.
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