In response to one of the biggest threats to its long-held position as the primary entrance to the internet, Google revealed on Wednesday its plans to inject its dominating search engine with more cutting-edge artificial intelligence technologies.
Three months after Microsoft’s Bing search engine began utilizing technology resembling that which powers the artificially intelligent chatbot ChatGPT, which has generated one of Silicon Valley’s biggest buzzes since Apple released the first iPhone 16 years ago, a gradual change in how Google’s search engine functions are now being implemented.
The conversational chatbot Bard, created by Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., has already been tested. Only those accepted from a waitlist have had access to that product, which is driven by the same generative AI engine that powers ChatGPT. On the other hand, Google revealed on Wednesday that Bard will be accessible to everyone in more than 180 nations and in additional languages in addition to English.
Google’s Bard is expanding its multilingual repertoire, starting with Japanese and Korean before adding around 40 others. Google’s search engine, which generates over $220 billion in revenue annually, will be where AI is cautiously introduced. Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said they are reimagining all their products, including search, and additional AI features will be added to Gmail. Google is testing generative AI technology in its search engine through a newly formed search lab with guardrails to prevent AI from responding to sensitive questions. Google hasn’t predicted when generative AI results will be available for all. This move comes as Microsoft began to load AI into Bing, which still lags behind Google in search engine usage.
Google’s stock initially dropped due to the potential threat of AI advancements made by Bing and Samsung’s consideration of dropping Google as the default search engine on its smartphones. However, Alphabet’s shares surged 4% after Google’s announcement of new AI developments. Google aims to make its search engine smarter by connecting with the next generation of “large language models” called PaLM2 and MUM. Google also plans to release a new filter called “Perspectives,” which will focus on what people are saying online about a topic. In addition, Google unveiled a foldable smartphone called Pixel, which will sell for $1,800 and will be shipped next month.
