Is Google's nightmare coming true? OpenAI to launch search engine.

[Whitey]

As has been rumored for at least a few weeks now, OpenAI looks set to make what might be the most significant challenge yet to Google and hit the search giant right where it hurts. Rumors have begun to circulate that OpenAI may announce its own search engine as soon as May 9, just a few days before the opening of Google’s annual developer conference.

In and of itself, the fact of OpenAI launching its own search engine is big news. The company has got to be closing in on a $100 billion valuation at this point, making it one of the most well-resourced challenges Google has faced to date (setting aside Meta cramming a new Meta AI tool into all of its products; yes, you’re technically “searching” with Meta AI but I don’t get the sense that there’s mainstream uptake there yet).

[bgr.com...]

[universenet]

@Whitey
That link show the truth about what coming next..many manipulations..

[not2easy]

It was announced here in February: [webmasterworld.com...]

[mack]

even though OpenAI is not officially a search engine just now. When you use any sort of AI for answering questions, reverting to a "traditional" search engine is like stepping back into the dark ages. This is possibly another example of the evolution of the search industry forcing companies aside. Remember directories? Search pushed them into oblivion. Now is it the turn of AI to force conventional search engines out of the way?

Mack.

[Swanny007]

I find myself using Bing CoPilot almost daily now. I am tired of scrolling, junk results, etc. I want an answer. Oddly I am liking AI search results like that even though I make my living with old school forums answering questions LOL.

I would like to see some real competition against Google. Most people I know when I ask what search engine they use (non-techies) they are using Google because it's the default, they don't even think of alternative choices.

[Whitey]

It’s going to be a big month for change, announcements and reactions, I think.

Probably the biggest in the history of search. Just my hunch.

I’m expecting more knee jerk reactions from Google. Their vision is disrupted and all over the place.

OpenAI search could cut straight through with a simple, focused value proposition that is the demise of old style search aka Google.

Publishers about to serve content en-masse to OpenAI or die?

[gizmodo.com...]

Apple is advancing fast to

[appleinsider-com.cdn.ampproject.org...]

Game on !

[engine]

>I’m expecting more knee jerk reactions from Google. Their vision is disrupted and all over the place.

Google was rarely behind as far as search is concerned, but it's sure feeling the pressure, and I believe it's lost its vision. We know it's vulnerable with failures, such as G Plus.
It still has the major advantage of being ubiquitous.

[superclown2]

It still has the major advantage of being ubiquitous.

If Mr Mehta agrees with the DOJ that they are ubiquitous because of illegal practices that situation could change very quickly.

I don't want to see Google destroyed - they have the ability to be a great search engine again and frankly I wouldn't trust any AI engine to give me accurate results all of the time, purely because of the suspect data they have all been fed. However a Google exposed to fair competition might well decide to start producing the best results again rather than the ones that make them the most money. I can't see that happening under the present management though.

[universenet]

Google should understand that small business websites are many time connected with large business websites because can be same owners/advertisers or group of same interest people and in that way all is visible and known about Google activity and google can expect normal reaction from advertisers

[Whitey]

Google was rarely behind as far as search is concerned, but it's sure feeling the pressure, and I believe it's lost its vision. We know it's vulnerable with failures, such as G Plus.

Exactly. It’s a classic legacy scenario. Kill what you survive on, or transform. But to what and from where?

It still has the major advantage of being ubiquitous.

Yes, and with lots of cash. But Microsoft, Meta, Apple, Amazon have alternative “touch points”. Collectively or separately their capacity will nibble away at Google’s 80% income earning search platform.

There may be an AI search announcement around this shortly from Elon Musk [techcrunch.com...]

And we haven’t spoken yet about how SEO and websites will need to adapt. In 1-2 years many or most existing tactics and skills will be obsolete. So it’s not just a nightmare for Google.

How do you do SEO for an OpanAI search engine. My prediction is you can’t.

It may also turn the EU’s DMA and DOJ monopoly focus on its head. So regulators and law makers will also be challenged.

Busy week ahead.

[Whitey]

Google's major shareholder and ex CEO, Eric Schmidt sounded confident in an interview, regarding the future of AI in search and Google's position in it regarding monetization and adapting to new search behaviours. I posted a link to the summary on [webmasterworld.com...]

It could be perfect timing, but he is poised to sell 50% of his Google stock. I guess if the price is right and there's better places to invest, why not. [theverge.com...]

[superclown2]

Google's major shareholder and ex CEO, Eric Schmidt sounded confident in an interview, regarding the future of AI in search and Google's position in it regarding monetization and adapting to new search behaviours.

If he's about to sell stock could this be classed as price manipulation?

And why sell now? Nothing to do with possible regulatory crackdowns, surely.

[EditorialGuy]

As traditional and new AI-based search engines fccus on becoming "answer engines," will there be an opportunity for a new Web search engine that's geared to helping users find information and sites on the broader Web, as opposed to quick Q&A-style answers or Wikipedia-style essays?

[superclown2]

will there be an opportunity for a new Web search engine that's geared to helping users find information and sites on the broader Web

Yes Bing's experience has shown that there is still demand for websites as opposed to instant AI (or AS, as it sometimes is). I really can't see Google abandoning that kind of search though, after all the money they make from it.

[Whitey]

Get ready for a big day on Monday.

The Reuters report cites 'two sources familiar with the matter,' so nothing is official. However, OpenAI's stealth launch of a new search engine (possibly in beta or limited form) next week would mark an exciting turn for the company. Bloomberg has reported on the company's search engine plans in the past, so it sounds like it's only a matter of time.

As for the timing of the launch, the report notes that it lines up with Google's annual I/O conference, which kicks off on Tuesday. Google is expected to announce updates for and unveil several AI-powered products during the event, so this could be a case of OpenAI stealing some of that thunder - so to speak.

[reuters.com...]

[Whitey]

Update:

Altman also said the company isn’t announcing a new AI-powered search engine.

Whatever OpenAI plans to unveil, it plans to do so via livestream on its site on Monday at 10AM PT / 1PM ET

[theverge.com...]

[engine]

Ahh well, we'll just have to wait.

[superclown2]

It doesn't seem to have happened ......

I wonder if they meant to, but couldn't make it work accurately enough? After all ChatGTP is pretty wonderful but it comes up with some pretty weird statements sometimes, just like every AI engine fed on web information (and misinformation).

[Whitey]

The announcement was rumored last week to be OpenAI launching a search product that would compete with Google, but Reuters reported that the company had delayed revealing that project. CEO Sam Altman denied that Monday’s announcement was a search engine following the reports, but tweeted on Friday that “we’ve been hard at work on some new stuff we think people will love! feels like magic to me”.

[amp.theguardian.com...]

This was a bit of an anticlimax, but somethings building in the background. More of a PR stunt to keep interest alive, which I suspect is off the boil.

It is a search engine, but a weak one and not strong enough to be “launched” as one yet. All iterations will end up in Bing and somewhere else eventually.

Roll on G’s developer conference this week. SGE and more.

[Brett_Tabke]

>As has been rumored for at least a few weeks now,

I've said it for over a year that OpenAI is NOT going to launch a search engine - not today, not tomorrow, not next year. They may provide links and references to generated conversation chat completions, but this will be nothing like a search engine. Thier only point will be to grab 10% of the users that leave ChatGPT to go do something at Google. That's it, just keep some of those users on site.

Rumors about an alleged search engine are great to keep Google guessing. Make no mistake about it - they are at war with each other. That's why their announcement of ChatGPT 4.oh came yesterday ahead of todays complete yawner by Google.

[Whitey]

Rumors about an alleged search engine are great to keep Google guessing. Make no mistake about it - they are at war with each other. That's why their announcement of ChatGPT 4.oh came yesterday ahead of todays complete yawner by Google.

@Brett_Tabke What's your take on what you think is most concerning for Google about ChatGPT? Or are they just going to be different animals co-existing in the internet jungle with some overlap of strategic territory?

[Brett_Tabke]

ChatGPT takes audience share away / user engagement from Google. Yes, there is a ton people can do on ChatGPT that they can not do on Google. ChatGPT with it's singular focus and singular experience is an AI service first and last - whereas Google is all over the place as a constant moving target. People know what they have in ChatGPT and trust it as a brand. There are no delusions of grandeur when you go to OpenAI.

Clearly growth is slowing at ChatGPT - I don't think we will see any more massive numbers of users that sign up for Chat GPT in the droves we have seen. That is ok because OpenAI is about user engagement. Google is a paper thin mile wide search experience - OpenAI is not wide, but very deep. People spend seconds on Google, but people are spending HOURS on ChatGPT. I read a rumor on one of the slack channels that paid ChatGPT users were averaging in excess of 30mins a day. The only thing we have seen on the web to take eye balls like that is Facebook and YouTube.

All this nonsense about a search engine by OpenAI is because when people leave ChatGPT, they often go to Google as the next stop. All ChatGPT has to do is to try to understand if those people leave because ChatGPT failed to fulfill there request, or if that was just the natural order of their web surfing. Once they understand that, they can build that into ChatGPT - either as search references (links) - which they are now doing more of or some new engaging feature that keeps people on the site longer. Either way, ChatGPT wins.

No matter how hard we wish it were true, a search engine by OpenAI is not happening.

[engine]

That idea of a search engine is not really what AI does. In this limited scope for AI, it's answering. Remwmber Ask Jeeves? :) It was a very rudimentary answer.

AI's scope is much wider than just text.

[universenet]

[theguardian.com ]

Just thinking if this world is normal anymore?

[Whitey]

I think from an information perspective Google doesn’t always give you what you want. ChatGPT and others can get you closer faster.

On the e-commerce side Google definitely doesn’t give you what you want, fast in search. It plays the game, along with intermediaries to confuse things and create value for itself in the overall marketing process.

Some products and services are pure commodity. Others are more subjective, personal and complex to compare, which marketers exploit to create confusion and value.

Imagine a search process that improved the ability to compare more easily. The better that got, Google would have to rely more on its complementary search assets that help muddy the search experience with variables under its control.

I do think that search is vulnerable to change. More and more things boil down to a commodity. Simply the core is data. And AI provides data to interact with itself.

That said, BS will always exist and stories about blah will never cease. That’s more of a human thing.

So I think aspects of Google search run the risk of search discovery in alternative systems. But I’m not sure how much, when and what speed this will shift. Google has the money to challenge and influence at every level, but it needs to feed and grow its advertising stream for revenue.

It’s the forever biblical analogy of Goliath or whatever. Nature has its place in the principles of technology and search is no different imo. The biggest will swallow up the weakest, until something evolves to compensate and break free to grow another cycle.

Current search is simply not satisfactory on all levels for hungry users and business’. That’s the ongoing dynamic I guess.

[Kendo]

I don't expect it to be much different.