• OpenAI is working on a ChatGPT-powered internet search engine similar to Google Search.
• Reports indicate that it will launch the search just before the Google I/O event next week, expected to be AI-heavy.
• The upcoming search will use ChatGPT’s AI model to pull information from the web and give citations.

The creators of ChatGPT, OpenAI have an upcoming search engine similar to Google Search, powered by its advanced generative AI models, the same that give ChatGPT the ability to give human-like responses.

According to a report from Reuters, OpenAI could launch this new search engine as soon as next week Monday, and could be timing the launch to be one day ahead of the upcoming Google I/O event, slated for 14th May 2024.

Much like last year, Google is expected to announce a whole bunch of AI-related products at this year’s I/O. It is believed that the upcoming search from OpenAI is being made to directly compete with Alphabet’s Google Search, the world’s most popular search engine, and for many the primary access to the internet.

According to reports, the OpenAI search will be an extension of the ChatGPT application and will pull information from the web and even include citations, similar to how OpenAI’s model works in the latest version of Microsoft Bing search for subscribers.

OpenAI was hired by Microsoft, for an enormous amount of guap, to be the Redmond tech giant’s defacto generative AI provider. OpenAI’s models run on Bing Search, as well as Microsoft Copilot, the company’s golden goose AI assistant.

Google itself has been working to add its own generative AI integration to its Search, but with limited success. The Google Gemini AI models have proven to either give faulty information in the past or are still being internally revised due to certain public embarrassments.

OpenAI has another competitor for AI-powered search in the guise of Perplexity, another generative AI startup founded by a former OpenAI employee. A unicorn startup, Perplexity offers free AI-powered internet searches similar to what OpenAI is looking to do. It already has over 10 million monthly active users, according to a company blog post.

Despite at one point amassing 100 million users faster than any other web service in history, ChatGPT’s userbase has been rocky in recent years, unable to maintain the vast popularity it saw soon after its launch. The company has been rushing to release products that not only boost its users, but also work to make it profitable.

[Image – Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash]