Could AI replace Google?
That’s a headline that you could not have imagined week ago, but last week, open AI released chatGPT which is a conversational chatbot based on GPT3 which could also function as a search engine. ChatGPT has gained a lot of traction and chatGPT is launched as a free preview for anyone, which means it will learn and get better. https://lnkd.in/d-PMZwHT.
Ultimately, that could impact the Google search engine. Maybe not replace it, but could bring serious competitors – both large companies and startups – impacting advertising revenues and making search advertising more competitive and transparent. Ultimately, that’s a good thing for innovation.
Search, as we know it, is broken. Search for a term, and you see 4 of 5 links first which are advertisements – often from competitors; ie Google is a great tech company but it is increasingly failing us as a search company.
Maybe for the first time, we have a serious option. Admittedly, chatGPT is new, inaccurate, and experimental with current shortcomings, but it has a few things going for it as a search engine.
a) It could learn through usage, as any AI does.
b) The conversation model is possibly a better search mechanism.
c) It could spark innovation in an area that has not seen much innovation recently.
Not that Google itself did not have similar technology – which it undoubtedly has: https://lnkd.in/dwwnfudD
Since search was the main source of revenue, it was unlikely to change search on its own. Finally all cloud providers could take note. The economist recently compared big tech / cloud companies to the old conglomerates – like GE – with potentially similar consequences to GE
Suddenly, we have a wake up moment and that’s good for innovation
Image source OpenAI
PS a good reference for chatGPT is
