OpenAI, the company behind the popular ChatGPT, is launching a test version of a search engine that will cite sources of information, including news from content business partners.
SearchGPT will summarize websites, including news sites, and let users ask follow-up questions, as they already do with ChatGPT.
It’s a direct challenge to Google, which has also has tried to apply generative AI to its web search.
OpenAI says it plans to integrate SearchGPT into ChatGPT in the future. ChatGPT can already perform web searches using Bing, but SearchGPT will aim for AI-assisted web searching.
OpenAI has not said whether it’s partnering with an existing search engine provider (like it does currently with Bing for ChatGPT), or building its own web-crawling and indexing system.
In the new SearchGPT announcement, OpenAI says, “Sites can be surfaced in search results even if they opt out of generative AI training.”
OpenAI claims SearchGPT will make web searches faster and easier. But the effectiveness of AI-powered search is unknown, as the tech is still in its early stages.
OpenAI emphasizes that it wants to work with content creators in particular. “We are committed to a thriving ecosystem of publishers and creators,” says OpenAI in its news release. “We hope to help users discover publisher sites and experiences, while bringing more choice to search.”
In a statement for the OpenAI press release, Nicholas Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic (an exissting content partner with OpenAI), was optimistic.
“AI search is going to become one of the key ways that people navigate the internet, and it’s crucial, in these early days, that the technology is built in a way that values, respects, and protects journalism and publishers,” he said. “We look forward to partnering with OpenAI in the process, and creating a new way for readers to discover The Atlantic.”
OpenAI’s SearchGPT is currently being tested with a small group of users and publishers.