What is SearchGPT and Why It’s the Next Big Thing in AI Search
Since the inception of ChatGPT, the Internet has been rife with reports of competition between Google and OpenAI. From launching generative AI platforms to building multimodal AI, the two organizations seem to have been on each other’s toes in terms of technological progress, at least in the past year. Consequently, the innovations brought forth by these two tech companies have been extremely fruitful and productive for the digital world, with the latest in this arsenal being Google’s announcement of Astra and OpenAI launching its new model, GPT-4o. Now, with GPT’s announcement of another new product, SearchGPT, the competition is undoubtedly set to heat up. Only this time, the frontier will be the online search market. Speculation, corroborated by claims made by OpenAI, is that SearchGPT is about to revolutionize how you search the Internet.
So, what is SearchGPT, and how does it work?
What is SearchGPT?
In order to understand the novelty of SearchGPT, it’s imperative to understand what a search engine is and how it functions. So, to begin with, a search engine is a system tasked to carry out web searches on a vast scale. That is, a search engine crawls through the World Wide Web following a systematic pathway, primarily based on matching keywords, for particular information specified in a textual web search query. Early entrants in the search engine space included Yahoo and AltaVista, both launched in 1995. But within years, they lost the market to Google which launched its search engine in 1998. Google went on to become the dominant player in this space. The traditional Google search works by crawling and indexing webpages and then using a complex algorithm to rank these pages based on relevance to the search query.
In contrast, SearchGPT is set to pose an alternative by leveraging advanced AI technology. Developed by OpenAI, the same organization behind the revolutionary ChatGPT, SearchGPT is a “temporary prototype of new AI search features” that aims to redefine how you search for information on the Internet. Earlier in May, Reuters suggested that OpenAI was about to enter the i
Internet search market. The anticipation grew, fueled by the success and technological advancements of OpenAI’s previous projects. Finally, the company formally announced the launching of a prototype called SearchGPT on July 25. By leveraging cutting-edge AI models developed by OpenAI, SearchGPT promises to offer a more intelligent and intuitive search experience.
ALSO READ: 10+ Practical Uses of Artificial Intelligence Across Sectors
What are the Key Features of SearchGPT?
According to OpenAI, Here’s what SearchGPT offers to its users:
1. Combines AI and Web Information
SearchGPT harnesses the power of OpenAI’s AI models alongside real-time information from the web to provide fast and relevant answers. Together, this combination ensures that users receive the most accurate and timely information available.
2. Conversational Search
SearchGPT functions in an interactive manner, much like other GPT models. It means that users can find the information they are looking for by posing questions to SearchGPT. The system builds context across each query, providing direct answers to user questions. This conversational approach makes the search experience more intuitive and user-friendly.
3. Follow-up Inquiries
With SearchGPT, users can ask follow-up questions based on previous responses, fostering an interactive search experience. This feature ensures that users can delve deeper into topics without starting a new search.
4. Publisher and Creator Focus
SearchGPT strives to highlight high-quality content from publishers and creators. This focus helps promote valuable content while ensuring that users access reliable information.
5. Clear Source Attribution
SearchGPT emphasizes transparency by displaying clear, in-line citations and links to sources. Users can easily verify the information and explore original content. In light of PerplexityAI’s plagiarism debacle, this becomes especially important.
ALSO READ: What is General AI? Here’s What You Need to Know
How SearchGPT Can Help Users
SearchGPT offers a plethora of benefits that significantly enhance the user experience compared to traditional search engines. By leveraging advanced AI technology, SearchGPT transforms the way users interact with search tools, making the process faster, more intuitive, and highly interactive. Below are some key ways in which SearchGPT can assist users in their search endeavors:
- Users can receive fast and accurate answers to their questions because of AI-powered search capabilities
- Users can enjoy a more conversational search experience, making interactions feel natural and intuitive
- SearchGPT can provide follow-up information, allowing users to explore topics in greater depth
- One can access high-quality content from reputable publishers and creators, ensuring reliable information
- SearchGPT provides clear attributions and links to sources, promoting transparency and trust
- Real-time information will keep users updated with the latest developments
Difference From the Traditional Google Search
AI-powered search tools such as OpenAI “re-affirm search as a content engagement model but pressure Google to be better at its own game,” says Kingsley Crane, a Canaccord Genuity analyst. The weight of this statement can be corroborated by the fact that in the immediate aftermath of OpenAI’s announcement to launch SearchGPT, the stock value of Google’s parent company, Alphabet, went down by 3% on the market. Hence, it’s clear that the introduction of the search engine module would create ripples in the existing market dominated by Google. So, what are the key differences that challenge Google search?
1. AI-Leveraged Understanding of Intent vs Keyword Dependence
SearchGPT relies on AI to understand the context and nuances of user queries, while the traditional Google search depends more on keyword matching. This difference means that SearchGPT can provide more accurate and relevant answers based on the intent behind the query.
2. Instant and Up-to-Date Info vs Web Crawling
SearchGPT can instantly deliver up-to-date information by mining real-time data from the web world. In contrast, traditional search engines such as Google rely on periodic web crawling and indexing, which may render web searching somewhat more time-consuming.
3. Contextual Consideration vs Isolated Query
SearchGPT builds context across queries, allowing users to ask follow-up questions and receive coherent responses. In contrast, traditional search engines treat each search as an isolated event, which can lead to repetitive or fragmented information retrieval.
However, it’s important to note that Google has also been using generative AI to power its search capabilities. Gemini, for instance, is a prime example of Google’s advancements in this area. While SearchGPT presents a new challenge, Google is likely to up its game. How this competition unfolds remains to be seen.
Frequently Asked Questions About GPT
1. What Does GPT Stand for?
GPT stands for Generative Pre-Trained Transformers.
2. What is ChatGPT and How to Use it?
ChatGPT is a virtual-assistant-cum-chatbot launched by OpenAI. It’s a generative AI platform based on Large Language Models (LLM). Its major plus point is that it allows users to engage with it and produce content in an interactive manner. To use it, you have to go to https://openai.com/chatgpt/ and give it instructions according to your requirements. You can also feed it follow-up questions to clarify your query.
3. How Can I Access ChatGPT?
Currently, ChatGPT also offers a free module in addition to the paid version. To use the paid version, you need to sign up at https://openai.com/chatgpt/ using an email ID. There’s no need to sign up for the free version.
ALSO READ: 20+ Benefits of Artificial Intelligence That You Didn’t Think Of
At the moment, SearchGPT is still in its testing phase, with no indication as to when it will be rendered accessible to internet users. Also, how Google responds to this new development in the search engine market remains to be seen. However it unfolds, all the early indications suggest that models like SearchGPT have a strong potential to radically alter how you search on the internet.
Does the world of AI invention intrigue you? If it does, and you find yourself willing to tune your knowledge and work experience to the future of technology that AI represents, consider enrolling in Emeritus’ artificial intelligence courses and machine learning courses. These tailor-made courses on artificial intelligence, offered by industry leaders and brought to you by Emeritus, would definitely give your tech career a boost.
Write to us at content@emeritus.org
