Google didn’t seem in the least bit concerned about its search business six months ago. Then Microsoft’s Bing sprouted a chatbot, and OpenAI’s ChatGPT was released.
The search engine giant revealed at its annual I/O conference that it will leverage generative artificial intelligence technology, like ChatGPT, to enhance results. The business is releasing a test version of their renowned search engine that includes text generation similar to that used by ChatGPT and other cutting-edge chatbots.
Google’s redesigned search still requires users to enter a query, and it still returns links to other websites, content snippets, and advertisements as results. However, in some cases, the top of the page will contain content that was created by AI using information gathered from various websites. In order to obtain more detailed information, a user can pose further queries.
A new tool called Search Labs will make the updated version of search available to users in the US, but it won’t be turned on by default or for everyone who uses Google.
Compared to ChatGPT, Google’s AI-powered search is far more subdued, forgoing an anthropomorphized avatar and steering clear of potentially divisive subjects like politics and expert medical or financial advice.
These new features’ unrefined appearance may be a sign that their introduction is a defensive measure. Over the past few years, Google has heavily invested in AI, and CEO Sundar Pichai has frequently referred to the firm as “AI first.” However, the introduction of ChatGPT, an OpenAI chatbot that is remarkably witty and chatty (but also fundamentally defective) caught Google off guard.
The excitement and tremendous interest from consumers, who sent millions of questions to ChatGPT and Bing chat, left Google scurrying to catch up. Researchers at the business had developed some of the key technology used in the new chatbots, but Google was hesitant to publicly launch LaMDA, its precursor to ChatGPT.
Google shifted its strategy in March, announcing Bard, a ChatGPT competitor. Google said in April that it would merge its AI research division with DeepMind, another Alphabet subsidiary focusing on AI. Google’s fundamental product, search, is now including text-generation technologies.
