OpenAI is competing with Google with the launch of SearchGPT

In recent weeks, there has been much discussion about the future of Artificial Intelligence on Google and on smartphones. Meta is increasingly implementing tools capable of generating responses and images to user prompts, while Google is improving the performance of Gemini, its own alternative to ChatGPT. To respond to attacks from the competition, OpenAI - which, unlike Google and Meta, is not yet a multinational - is testing SearchGPT, an AI-supported search engine capable of stealing a market share from the big competitors of the Californian start-up. According to its representatives, SearchGPT will be able to respond to user searches more quickly, gather links, and present them in a conversational manner as ChatGPT already does. In addition to enabling a more in-depth and precise web search, thanks to an agreement with some publishers, OpenAI's new project will have access to up-to-date and reliable information. Access to SearchGPT services will be possible through the ChatGPT platform, the company confirmed. 

In addition to the agreement with editors and publishers able to provide news and information to the new search engine, among the projects that OpenAI is nurturing in view of the launch of SearchGPT is also the collaboration with some content creators. Nicholas Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic and former content partner with OpenAI, said in a recent OpenAI press release that he is pleased the AI company is committed to protecting journalists and editors: “AI-powered search will become one of the primary ways people navigate the Internet, and it is crucial, in these early days, that the technology is built to value, respect, and protect journalism and publishers. We look forward to collaborating with OpenAI in this process and creating a new way for readers to discover The Atlantic.”

While Google continues to offer classic search services, last May it launched Overviews, a tool that uses AI to provide brief summaries of articles published online, which, however, has faced some criticism regarding its reliability (an article by Wired reported that users were advised to add glue to pizza). In a move that could effectively be a checkmate against the giant Google, OpenAI is preparing for one of the largest investments ever to protect independent press, ensure the site is always updated, and launch a new program. According to a report by The Information, the expansion of the company and the number of employees involved in OpenAI risk causing it to lose $5 billion.