When OpenAI introduced ChatGPT in 2022, it triggered concerns at Google’s headquarters regarding the potential impact of OpenAI’s AI capabilities on Google’s profitable search operations. Now, it appears those apprehensions are materializing, as OpenAI prepares for an unexpected announcement next week that could revolutionize the search industry indefinitely.
Reuters reports that OpenAI is poised to unveil a new search engine rival to Google, powered by its advanced large language model technology. The key detail is the launch date OpenAI has reportedly chosen: Monday, May 13.
Interestingly, this is just one day before Google’s major annual event, Google I/O 2024, which is typically one of Google’s largest showcases of the year. Google often highlights its latest developments in search and AI at this event, leaving them minimal time to respond to OpenAI’s reveal the preceding day.
This strategic timing indicates that OpenAI is aggressively challenging Google and intends to overshadow the search behemoth on its own ground. Consequently, the competition between the two companies is escalating to unprecedented levels.
OpenAI vs Google
There have been persistent rumors that OpenAI is developing an AI-driven search engine. For instance, Bloomberg recently reported that this search engine from OpenAI would be capable of gathering data from the internet and providing citations in its search results. Similarly, The Information has reported that OpenAI is “developing a web search product,” and there have been continuous murmurs about this for months.
Even aside from these direct leaks and rumors, it’s been evident for some time that platforms like ChatGPT offer a different approach to information retrieval compared to traditional search engines. ChatGPT can quickly deliver information on virtually any subject, though it sometimes includes factual errors. For subscribers, ChatGPT Plus offers web browsing capabilities, and it seems that a dedicated search engine from OpenAI will soon enhance this service.
Nonetheless, Google is prepared to robustly defend its territory. The tech giant has been frequently updating its Gemini chatbot and integrating various AI-driven features into its search engine, including boxes with AI-generated answers on the search results page.
Whether OpenAI’s search engine will be enough to knock Google off its perch is anyone’s guess, but it’s clear that the company’s success with ChatGPT has prompted Google to radically rethink its search offering. Come next week, we might get a clearer picture of how the future of search will look.
