By: Moosa Awais
It’s no secret – we are in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Revolution. Every day, we are making major advancements in the world of artificial intelligence, from its applications to its versatility and power. It has the potential to revolutionize everything from the software industry, to healthcare and medicine, and most recently, to the way we interact with information online. Enter: SearchGPT, a new AI search engine prototype by OpenAI.
OpenAI has been one of the leading tech companies pioneering the development of cutting-edge AI technologies, driving innovation, and pushing the boundaries of what is possible in this field. SearchGPT is the latest entry in their ever-growing list of contributions in AI and is a promising one at that. It takes the traditional formula of an AI model (such as ChatGPT), which allows it to generate answers based on the data it has been trained on, while also implementing a search function. This search function allows SearchGPT to access the internet, stay in tune with the latest articles/resources, and generate responses accordingly. It presents a summary of those articles/resources while also generating links and citations to ensure the credibility and accuracy of its responses.
You may notice some key parallels between SearchGPT and Google’s now mainstream AI Overview. However, there are a few distinctions worth pointing out. For one, SearchGPT is designed to be more conversational. By leveraging massive language models and natural language processing (NLP) algorithms, it can generate strong answers even with vague queries, allowing users to ask follow-up questions to keep them engaged. For example, if the user asks SearchGPT, “When can I see nudibranchs (sea slugs) in Half Moon Bay this weekend?,” they will receive specific times for low tide in Half Moon Bay when the sea slugs are most visible. Along with this, it will also cite its resources, such as the Pacific Beach Coalition or the Tide Forecast. Then, if the user asks, “Will it be hot?”—a very vague and nonspecific query—SearchGPT will still know that they are referring to the forecast in Half Moon Bay. These were mock questions that OpenAI themselves used as demonstrations.
With that being said, Google’s AI Overview is nothing to scoff at – it is an extremely powerful tool. Although not having many of SearchGPT’s distinct, conversation-focused features, AI Overview generates fast, exact responses, and is much more accessible. At the end of the day, both are powerful tools – SearchGPT is more suitable for users interested going more in in-depth into a topic, asking follow-up questions, and getting a comprehensive scope of the topic, while Google’s AI Overview is better suited for users who want short, concise, and simple responses.
Despite all of SearchGPT’s promising features, one thing is true – this is indeed an experimental launch by OpenAI. It is a prototype, with only a select few being allowed to use it. You would have to enter a waitlist to try it out, which has now been closed. Aside from that, however, users have already found SearchGPT to generate hallucinations, which are AI-generated responses that seem inaccurate or illogical.
SearchGPT still has some ways to go before it can become as mainstream as Google, but it is definitely a step in the right direction, pushing the boundaries of how users interact with digital, online information. As AI continues to advance, tools like SearchGPT could very well shape the future of search engines, giving users a more engaging and intuitive experience. AI promises to take us far, and only time will tell how much it can truly change our lives.
Scribemen Magazine 