OpenAI Unveils SearchGPT: A New Contender in the Search Engine Arena
In a bold move to rival search giants like Google and Bing, OpenAI has introduced SearchGPT, a new search feature designed to provide timely answers by drawing from web sources.
Introducing SearchGPT
SearchGPT, unveiled by OpenAI on Thursday, promises to revolutionize the search experience by offering real-time information and integrating web sources seamlessly. The interface resembles OpenAI’s existing chatbot platform, ChatGPT. Users can enter a query, and SearchGPT will return relevant information and images from the web, complete with links to the original sources. Additionally, users can follow up with more questions or explore related searches in a sidebar.
Location-Based Searches
Some searches in SearchGPT are location-aware. According to OpenAI, the feature collects and shares general location information with third-party search providers to enhance result accuracy, such as displaying nearby restaurants or local weather forecasts. Users also have the option to share precise location information through a toggle in the settings menu.
Technology and Availability
Powered by OpenAI models like GPT-3.5, GPT-4, and GPT-4o, SearchGPT is currently described as a prototype. It launches today for a select group of users and publishers, with a waitlist available for others interested in participating. OpenAI also plans to integrate some of SearchGPT’s features into ChatGPT in the future.
“Getting answers on the web can take a lot of effort, often requiring multiple attempts to get relevant results,” OpenAI noted in a blog post. “We believe that by enhancing the conversational capabilities of our models with real-time information from the web, finding what you’re looking for can be faster and easier.”
Addressing AI Search Tool Concerns
The launch of SearchGPT comes at a challenging time, as AI-powered search tools face scrutiny for issues like plagiarism, inaccuracies, and content cannibalism. For instance, Google’s AI Overviews once suggested putting glue on a pizza, while other AI search engines have made similarly problematic recommendations.
AI-generated summaries also pose a threat to traffic for the websites they source from, with studies indicating that AI Overviews could negatively impact about 25% of publisher traffic due to reduced emphasis on article links.
OpenAI’s Approach to Responsible AI
In response to these concerns, OpenAI is positioning SearchGPT as a more responsible and measured deployment. SearchGPT is designed to prominently cite and link to publishers in search results, with clear, in-line, named attribution. OpenAI is also working with publishers to design the user experience and providing tools for website owners to manage how their content appears in search results.
“Importantly, SearchGPT is about search and is separate from training OpenAI’s generative AI foundation models. Sites can be surfaced in search results even if they opt out of generative AI training,” OpenAI clarified in the blog post. “We are committed to a thriving ecosystem of publishers and creators.”
Looking Forward
OpenAI’s commitment to responsible AI deployment will be closely watched, especially given past controversies, such as scraping millions of YouTube transcripts without permission. As SearchGPT rolls out, its impact on the search engine landscape and its adherence to ethical practices will be critical to its success.
Stay tuned to see how SearchGPT develops and whether it can truly compete with established search engines while maintaining ethical standards in AI usage.
