OpenAI launches SearchGPT, its own AI-powered search engine. Still in the prototype stage, it intends to compete directly with Google and will later be integrated into ChatGPT. A new war in sight on the Internet?
The launch of ChatGPT in late 2022 has completely shaken up the technology sector. All companies are banking on it to gain popularity and are integrating it into their devices and services. Microsoft was the first to get in on the action with Bing Chat, then with Microsoft Copilot, and is currently rolling out a generative search function. Google, until now the undisputed master of artificial intelligence, then followed suit by launching Bard, since renamed Gemini. Last May, the company then presented AI Overviews, a generative AI that displays a summary of the responses to queries (see our article). In short, the online search sector is in full swing!
However, these two giants will have to face a competitor that no one saw coming: SearchGPT, OpenAI’s new search engine powered by artificial intelligence! In his official press releasethe start-up promises “quick and timely responses with clear and relevant sources”. The search engine is currently in the prototyping stage and is only being offered for testing to 10,000 users. But its ambitions are great!
SearchGPT: a minimalist and familiar interface
Able to answer Internet users’ questions on a conversational interface, ChatGPT can already replace some uses of Google Search. However, in its current form, OpenAI’s chatbot cannot completely replace traditional search engines, because the data with which the AI was trained is not always up to date and it tends to hallucinate. However, the format does not make it easy to verify the information given by ChatGPT.
This is where SearchGPT comes in. Its interface, quite minimalist, is not far from that of ChatGPT. All you have to do is enter your query in the “What are you looking for?” field. It is the search results that are very different. The engine will search for information in real time on the Internet, then list the answers in the form of summaries followed by the link to the source, all accompanied by photos. The user can then ask additional questions and access other links related to the subject via a sidebar.
SearchGPT: precautions to take for future deployment
According to OpenAI, SearchGPT combines “the power of our artificial intelligence models with information from the web to provide you with fast and timely answers with clear and relevant sources.” For this, it can count on GPT-4. But the integration of AI into search engines has not been without its problems. Google had bitter experience of this when Gemini recommended users to eat stones, smoke during pregnancy or use non-toxic glue to hold ingredients on a pizza.
Also, to avoid any pitfalls, particularly with regard to plagiarism, OpenAI has partnered with several renowned media outlets, such as The Atlantic and News Corp. The company assures that they can “manage how they appear in SearchGPT” and can refuse to have their content used to train AI models. Please note that SearchGPT is a “temporary” prototype that will eventually see its best features integrated into ChatGPT. It is possible to register on the waiting list at this address to test it. But it is better to be patient…