Arrr! The scallywags at OpenAI be plottin' to steal Google's treasure with their fancy search engine! Aye matey!
2024-05-03
Arrr, me hearties! OpenAI be fixin' to roll out a newfangled search contraption on May 9th, aimin' to give Google a run for its pieces of eight. Aye, a battle o' the search engines be brewin' on the horizon!
The smoke of rumors and speculation that OpenAI could possibly reveal a search engine at an event that’s anticipated to take place on May 9th, 2024 has certainly been getting thicker of late. If there is indeed a fire to these rumors, the announcement could set the current search engine landscape ablaze, and it would be a savvy strategic maneuver for Microsoft, a core investor and partner of OpenAI - and a rival of Google.Open AI CEO Sam Altman has spoken about creating a more encompassing search experience that’s more comprehensive than what current search engines offer, and if it has enough novelty and appeal, it could pose a substantial challenge to Google’s search supremacy. If the success of OpenAI’s ChatGPT and its GPT-related technologies are anything to go by, this is certainly possible, especially if OpenAI capitalizes on the current AI hype.One of the sources of the speculation that OpenAI is gearing up for such an event is a poster on X, @apples_jimmy, who multiple outlets reference, claims that OpenAI was advertising for in-house events staff and marketing positions in January of this year, and hired an events manager last month.Google’s desire to use AI to answer users’ search queries hasn’t proved to be too popular, and some people feel that it’s about time the company’s vast lead in search engine market share was challenged. If OpenAI is indeed working on its own Google rival, a May 9th launch could possibly eclipse Google I/O.All of this is rumor at the moment, but there have been other reports that appear to give credence to them, including one by MSPowerUser back in Februrary 2024 that claimed OpenAI was working on something like this. Altman has spoken about his and OpenAI’s overall vision in pretty vague terms, and while he hasn’t said anything that confirms these rumors, nor has he explicitly contradicted them either.We’ll have to wait and see what happens on May 9, but I can say this much: if OpenAI makes its own search engine, I will be keen to try it. Google’s market lead remains formidable, but ChatGPT and OpenAI’s other efforts have already shifted many people’s attitudes (and even behaviors) when it comes to interacting with artificial intelligence.