Sam Altman wants ChatGPT to be used by billions of users, and not just a few hundred. And how is that achieved? By turning his tool into a search engine, like Google.
Rumors suggest that OpenAI, creator of ChatGPT, is developing a new web search product that could compete with established companies like Google and Bing.
According to a recent article from The Information, OpenAI is working on a search tool that would likely use Microsoft’s Bing search functionality as a base.
The future of OpenAI lies in turning ChatGPT into Chrome
Although OpenAI has not officially confirmed these plans, their efforts to expand ChatGPT’s knowledge and web browsing capabilities suggest that the company is moving towards a more contextual and conversational approach to search.
The report speculates on the possibility that the new tool will be directly integrated into ChatGPT itself as a premium feature for paying subscribers. However, its release as an independent search product is also still an option.
The fact that OpenAI is turning to Bing to power elements of its rumored search offering coincides with the significant investments that Microsoft has made in the AI startup in recent years.
Microsoft has already incorporated OpenAI models into products such as Bing Web Search and Copilot. Leveraging the strengths of both companies, OpenAI’s search tool could adopt a knowledge-based approach that surpasses traditional search engines focused solely on keywords and links.
Although intriguing, it is still unclear whether the integration of AI like ChatGPT will actually attract Google search users. Microsoft has already gone down this path in the past, trying to surpass Google with AI-based search experiences, but it barely managed to increase its market share.
OpenAI’s technology offers exciting new possibilities, but users tend to stick with habit when it comes to basic tools like web search. That is, it’s hard to break away from using Chrome every day.
