The AI Search War Heats Up! Can ChatGPT's Free Search Break Google's Stronghold?

The search function of the conversational AI "ChatGPT," developed by OpenAI, called "ChatGPT Search," has been made free, intensifying the fierce competition with Google, the reigning king of search engines. According to an article in the Chūō Kōron (Central Daily News) Japanese edition, OpenAI announced on November 17th that it would open ChatGPT Search to free users as well. This move has the potential to disrupt Google's overwhelming share of the search market.

What is ChatGPT Search? Differences from Google Search

ChatGPT Search is a service that provides answers in a conversational format using AI in response to search queries entered by users. Unlike conventional keyword searches, it understands the user's intent and provides information in a more natural and human-like conversational manner. Furthermore, the source of the answer is also indicated, ensuring the reliability of the information.

On the other hand, Google Search is a service that lists highly relevant information from a vast number of web pages based on keywords. While the amount of information is abundant, users need to select and organize the information themselves.

Advantages of ChatGPT Search

• Natural and human-like conversational format: Unlike conventional search engines, users can obtain information from ChatGPT Search as if they were conversing with a human.
• Reliability of information: Because the source of the answer is indicated, the reliability of the information can be verified.
• Efficient information gathering: Since AI summarizes and organizes information, users can efficiently gather information.
• Diverse expressiveness: It is possible to visually present information using graphs and charts, in addition to text.

The Current State of AI Search

AI search has been attracting attention in recent years, and companies other than OpenAI, such as Perplexity and Felo, are developing their own AI search engines. Microsoft is integrating ChatGPT technology into its search engine Bing to improve the search experience.

Google's Response

Google has also developed the conversational AI "Bard" and has entered the AI search market. Bard is linked with Google Search and can provide answers that include the latest information on the web. However, Bard is currently still in the trial operation stage, and there is room for improvement in terms of answer accuracy and speed.

Future Outlook

AI search has the potential to significantly change the search experience. Users will be able to access information in a more natural and human-like way, and the efficiency of information gathering will also improve.

However, challenges remain in AI search. For example, AI answers may contain misinformation or bias, and ensuring the reliability of information is important. The ethical use of AI also needs to be discussed.

The future AI search market will be a battleground where giant IT companies such as OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft will compete fiercely. Along with the evolution of AI technology, more advanced and user-friendly AI search engines are expected to emerge, and the user search experience will further evolve.