After the moderate success of its own chatbot Bard, Google now wants to improve its search with artificial intelligence.
Chatbots in the form of “ChatGPT” and the Microsoft search engine Bing are competing with Google search. The company therefore presented a new version of its search engine at its I/O developer conference. With the new “Search Generative Experience” this should answer open questions with tailored texts.
Google search gets support from generative AI
“We’re rethinking all of our core products, including search,” Google parent company Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said at the annual I/O developer conference in Mountain View, California. Generative AI will not only be integrated into the new search engine “Search Generative Experience(SGE) but also in the e-mail program Gmail and can deliver text drafts there. In Google Photos, the AI should change images according to the company’s ideas. For example, by putting people in the middle or designing empty image areas in color.
First test phase with Search Generative Experience in the USA
Search Generative Experience results should appear at the top of Google searches. For example, if you are looking for a travel destination with specific activities and places, you will receive a tailored information text – including pictures and appropriate links. SGE should also support shopping. The search engine summarizes what to look for when buying and shows relevant images and product reviews.
The search engine SGE is initially activated for a test phase in the USA for users, as the Vice President of the group, Cathy Edwards, said. There is a waiting list for this. But how does the AI deal with false information on the Internet? According to Edwards, Google prioritizes accuracy and citing trusted sources. The head of the Google Cloud division, Thomas Kurian, told the Reuters news agency that the new technology would also be offered to companies for creating reports, for marketing or for running chat assistants. Deutsche BankDBKGn.DE, among others, could be won over for a test run.
Pressure on Google is growing
Google has been considered the epitome of search engines for years and is widely used. But the advance of generative AI puts Google under pressure. The competitors are experimenting with other forms of conveying information from the Internet – and, as in the case of ChatGPT, are causing a stir. OpenAI is developing the chatbot with the participation of Microsoft. The AI can generate texts based on extensive data and a few keywords. It has found new users at an unprecedented rate. For many, it is now considered the first standard version of generative AI. On the same basis that ChatGPT is based on, Microsoft designed its own chatbot and built it into its Bing search engine.
Developing and deploying generative AI is very expensive. Microsoft has invested billions of dollars in OpenAI and is heavily gearing its business towards it. Employees also feel this on their pay slips: Microsoft announced on Wednesday that there would be no salary increases for full-time employees this year. The company referred to the difficult economic environment. Along with the sweeping shift to AI, investments “in people, the business and the future” would need to be carefully considered.
With material from Reuters