OpenAI, the startup behind ChatGPT, has announced the testing of a “SearchGPT” prototype, aimed at leveraging the strength of its AI models combined with web information to answer online queries swiftly and provide relevant sources.
This new initiative was revealed in a blog post where OpenAI explained that SearchGPT is currently available to a select group of users and publishers for feedback purposes. The refined features from this prototype are expected to be integrated into ChatGPT in the future.
SearchGPT promises an interactive experience where users can engage through conversational queries and follow-up questions, similar to a human interaction. This marks a significant step in AI development, particularly in the realm of search engines, where Google has long held a dominant position.
Google recently introduced AI-generated query result summaries, known as “Overviews,” which present a brief summary of the information believed to answer the user’s search query at the top of the results page. This move has raised concerns about potentially reducing opportunities for displaying lucrative ads.
OpenAI’s description of SearchGPT suggests a similar functionality to Google’s Overviews. This parallel raises the stakes in the competitive race to deploy generative AI programs for producing text, images, and other content through natural language prompts, a race that has intensified since ChatGPT’s release at the end of 2022.
“We are innovating at every layer of the AI stack,” Google chief Sundar Pichai remarked during a recent earnings call for Alphabet, emphasizing the company’s commitment to AI advancement.
OpenAI is collaborating with certain publishers to fine-tune SearchGPT, ensuring it remains distinct from the training of its foundational generative AI models. The emphasis is on creating a search technology that values, respects, and protects journalism and publishers.
“AI search is going to become one of the key ways that people navigate the internet, and it’s crucial, in these early days, that the technology is built in a way that values, respects, and protects journalism and publishers,” said Nicholas Thompson, chief executive of The Atlantic, in the OpenAI blog post.
OpenAI has also invited users to join a waitlist to try out SearchGPT, indicating a growing interest and anticipation for this new technology.
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