Grace Ashiru
SearchGPT, a new search engine prototype developed by OpenAI, is designed to deliver users “fast and timely answers with clear and relevant sources.” This tool is currently being evaluated by a select group of users. OpenAI has announced plans to eventually incorporate SearchGPT into its ChatGPT chatbot.
Google, the current leader in the search engine industry, might feel the impact of this rollout. Since the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, Alphabet investors have expressed concerns that OpenAI could surpass Google in the search market by offering users innovative ways to find information online.
OpenAI is exploring ways to enhance search capabilities with its new prototype, allowing users to “search in a more natural, intuitive way” and ask follow-up questions “just like you would in a conversation.”
Sam Altman, OpenAI’s CEO, commented on X, stating, “We think there is room to make search much better than it is today.”
This announcement of SearchGPT follows the introduction of OpenAI’s new AI model, the “GPT-4o mini.” Launched in May, GPT-4o is the company’s fastest and most powerful model to date.
With backing from Microsoft, investors have valued OpenAI at nearly $80 billion. Founded in 2015, the company faces the dual challenge of maintaining its leadership in the generative AI sector while also generating revenue, particularly given its significant expenditures on processors and infrastructure required for model development and training.
The company’s objective to lead in “multimodality,” the ability to offer various AI-generated media like text, images, audio, video, and search within a single tool—ChatGPT—includes both OpenAI’s new micro AI model and the SearchGPT prototype.
As mentioned in OpenAI’s blog post, users will gain a “richer understanding” of SearchGPT through its visual results.
Following the announcement, shares of Alphabet fell by over 3%.
