In an attempt to compete with Google, OpenAI unveiled ChatGPT Search, their eagerly awaited search tool, last week. Google incorporated AI-generated responses into its main product early this year, causing some awkward hallucinations as a result of the industry’s months-long preparation for this moment. Many people thought that OpenAI’s search engine would be a true “Google killer” as a result of that incident.
However, I immediately returned to Google after using ChatGPT Search as my default search engine for about a day (you can do the same with OpenAI’s addon). In several aspects, OpenAI’s search tool was amazing, and it provided a preview of what an AI-search interface might eventually look like. However, it is still too unfeasible for me to utilize as my everyday vehicle at this time.
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Don’t get me wrong, Google has become less good over the past ten or so years, mostly due to the deluge of advertisements and SEO. Nevertheless, during my test, I kept launching Google in a different window as ChatGPT Search was unable to provide me with the right response or page.
Which would win, short queries or ChatGPT Search?
To find out how a live NBA game between the Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Timberwolves was progressing, I typed in “Nuggets score.” At the same time, a Google search showed a Timberwolves score that was 10 points lower than it actually was, and ChatGPT told me the Nuggets were winning even though they were losing.
Perhaps a “Google killer” in the future, but not right now.
For OpenAI, this was not a minor launch. Despite his reputation for downplaying the AI capabilities of his firm, Sam Altman complimented the functionality as “really good.” The fact that search is one of the largest industries on the internet and that OpenAI’s version may pose a serious threat to Google, its main rival, may be the reason this time is different.
To be fair, ChatGPT Search is a recent addition, but Google Search has been around for 25 years. According to a blog post, OpenAI intends to enhance the function in the upcoming months in response to user feedback, and it appears that this might be a major area of investment for the firm.
