Technology
Mint Primer: What if ChatGPT’s AI search engine clicks with users?
Summary
- The integration of AI-driven chatbots like ChatGPT into search engines is set to disrupt ad-reliant revenue models.
OpenAI has disappointed many by delaying the launch of the much-anticipated fifth version of Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT-5). But its integration of AI search into ChatGPT is transforming the way tech companies organise online information and users search the web. By providing real-time access with original source links, OpenAI is addressing copyright and plagiarism lawsuits, and challenging the dominance of traditional search engines like Google and Bing.
What is ChatGPT Search?
OpenAI introduced ChatGPT Search on 31 October. It provides up-to-date online information with links to information sources, using GPT-4 as the default model. Users can not only chat but also activate a web search manually. OpenAI has partnered with news and data providers to add information and visual designs for categories like weather, stocks, sports, news, and maps. Available on chatgpt.com and mobile and desktop apps, this feature is accessible to ChatGPT Plus, Teams, and SearchGPT waitlist users. OpenAI plans to make it free for enterprise, education, and all users in the coming months.
Read more: Can AI chatbots be manipulated? A new industry promises just that.
How will this move impact Google Search?
The integration of AI-driven chatbots like ChatGPT into search engines is set to disrupt ad-reliant revenue models. By providing direct answers, these AI tools reduce the need for users to visit multiple websites, decreasing ad impressions and clicks. ChatGPT has 200 million weekly active global users, and its search feature will only boost adoption. However, Google maintains a dominant 89.33% market share, while Microsoft’s Bing holds 4.15%, according to Statista. In 2023, Google’s revenue reached $305.63 billion, primarily from advertising on online searches but if ChatGPT clicks it may impact advertising.
But aren’t search engines evolving too?
OpenAI itself was developing SearchGPT, which is now integrated with ChatGPT. But Google’s Gemini, Microsoft’s Bing, and Perplexity AI already offer search capabilities with their large language model (LLM) chatbots, using real-time data for accurate, up-to-date answers. Meta, too, is reportedly developing its own search engine.
Read more: RBI to introduce real-time AI-driven systems to check cyber fraud
How safe and credible are AI searches?
Blending AI with real-time searches can increase biases and misinformation. The impact on user privacy and transparency of the AI decision-making processes are also critical factors in maintaining ethical standards. ChatGPT says its searches are based on prompts and it may share “disassociated search queries with third-party search providers such as Bing". ChatGPT also collects general location information based on your internet protocol (IP) address and may share it with third-party search providers.
What else is brewing in the world of search?
Google’s Project Jarvis, OpenAI agents, and Anthropic’s Claude 3.5 Haiku are advancing ‘AI agents’—programs that autonomously perform tasks to achieve specific goals. These aim to streamline complex online activity, enhancing user experiences. Project Jarvis leverages the Gemini 2.0 language model to assist users with web-based tasks by interpreting screenshots and performing actions like clicking buttons or entering text. OpenAI’s agents autonomously navigate browsers, doing research and shopping.
