OpenAI unveiled a prototype of its search engine, called SearchGPT, on Thursday, with the objective of providing users with fast and timely answers from reliable sources.
The company’s plan is to incorporate this tool, currently undergoing testing with a select group of users, into its ChatGPT chatbot in the future.
This development could have implications for Google and its prevailing search engine. Ever since ChatGPT was introduced in November 2022, there have been concerns among Alphabet investors about OpenAI potentially capturing market share from Google by offering consumers alternative methods to access information online.
By introducing this prototype, OpenAI is exploring the opportunity to enhance the search experience, offering users the ability to search in a more natural and intuitive manner, and pose follow-up questions as they would in a conversation.
Alphabet’s shares saw a decline of over 3% on Thursday, closing at $167.28, while the Nasdaq experienced a less than 1% decrease.
In May, Google launched AI Overview, hailed by CEO Sundar Pichai as the most substantial alteration in search in 25 years, to a limited audience. This feature allows users to access a summary of answers to their queries at the top of Google Search.
Despite Google working on AI Overview for over a year, public backlash ensued when users observed nonsensical or inaccurate outcomes from the AI feature, with no option to opt out.
The announcement of SearchGPT comes on the heels of OpenAI’s recent release of a new AI model, “GPT-4o mini,” last Thursday. This model, derived from GPT-4o, OpenAI’s swiftest and most potent model to date, was introduced in May during a live-streamed event featuring company executives.
