Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) has been at the forefront of technological advancements in recent years, and the development of AI-powered search engines has emerged as a major area of focus for tech companies. As the race to build the most advanced AI-powered search engine heats up, it’s worth exploring the reasons behind this sudden surge in interest and what it means for the future of search technology.
Throughout the years, only a few products have had the power to fundamentally alter our means of obtaining information through technology. These range from the first Windows with its revolutionary graphical icons to Apple’s iPhone and its touch and pinch features, all the way to Google Search’s algorithmic ranking system.
A new technological development could be imminent, leading to considerable modifications in the tech world about which companies dominate.
In November, OpenAI, an artificial intelligence research lab, unveiled ChatGPT – a new method of conversing with its extensive language models through everyday conversation.
Pose a complex query, and this programming tool would draw on the web for data to deliver a response that resembles naturally-written language. Indicate an intricate coding task, and it can generate the program. Request a text version in an alternate style or tongue – and it will comply.
Screenshots of replies that mimicked human speech circulated the internet, stirring up the collective imagination through the presence of a chatbot.
A “code red” was reportedly initiated at Google, causing its founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page to return to the company. This was due to the potential of ChatGPT to be used as a search engine that could be released as a consumer product.
Language models built using huge datasets are proficient in comprehending, producing, and manipulating language as it is spoken normally. They can also combine, summarise and change data when given a prompt.
When you enter a search term, Google Search’s latest iteration provides many links, advertisements, and some surrounding context. Most of the time, your query is not specific enough and presents many links to look through.
A generative search engine might be able to provide you with a unique set of directions, tips, or data in response to your specific inquiry. For example, you could put down the ingredients available and get a custom-made recipe; ask for an original rhyme about any topic; chat about which dog would best suit your needs based on certain criteria; or find a restaurant that serves your preferred dish within walking distance from where you are staying.
Google Search can perform similar tasks today. However, it is not as simple. Google has the potential to create a chatbot due to its LaMDA (“Language Model for Dialogue Applications”), but they have yet to do so.
Chatbots are programmed to sound as realistic as possible, so they can end up giving out incorrect information while sounding sure of themselves or saying offensive things without meaning to. Additionally, the technology can be used maliciously in identity theft, scams, and cheating in school.
Despite its huge success, Google moved quickly to improve Search with LaMDA when ChatGPT was released publicly. StatCounter reports that Google holds a 93 percent share of the search market, so the tech giant was keen to protect its lead by introducing this new technology.
In January, Microsoft revealed that it would be investing an additional $US10 billion ($14.4 billion) into OpenAI in addition to the initial investment. Subsequently, on February 1st, the company announced its first AI-powered models utilizing GPT for Teams video calls with the capabilities of tracking who said what, developing summaries, creating recaps, and mailing out to-do lists. Additionally, they stated that A.I. features would soon be incorporated into almost all their productivity software, such as Office.
On February 6th, Google revealed that it has been utilizing LaMDA to design a new version of Google Search. This agent is called Bard and will be placed on top of regular search results, allowing users to ask queries and get responses in natural conversation.
A.I. search engines have become the next big tech arms race as they are becoming increasingly important in the modern technological landscape. With the rise of big data, AI-powered search engines can process and analyze vast amounts of information to provide users with personalized and relevant results. Developing these search engines has created a high demand for talent in the field of A.I., leading to fierce competition among tech companies to recruit and retain the best A.I. experts.
Source: smh
