Finally, the wait is over. Tech giant Google has recently revealed its plans to introduce generative artificial intelligence (AI) technology into its primary search engine. This decision follows Microsoft’s integration of GPT-4 into its Bing search engine earlier this year.
Known as Search Generative Experience, this feature within Google aims to generate responses to open-ended queries. However, it is important to note that this system is currently in an “experimental” phase and will be accessible to only a select number of users.
Google’s parent company Alphabet’s CEO Sundar Pichai expressed that the company is reimagining all of its core products, including search, indicating a significant overhaul in progress. Furthermore, Google unveiled a new feature for its Android system that will proactively notify users about unfamiliar AirTags. These small tracking devices are designed to keep track of personal belongings such as keys and wallets.
The technology giant plans to launch the “unknown tracker alerts” feature during the upcoming summer. This announcement comes after Apple and Google recently worked together to address issues with AirTag abuse. People who have had monitoring issues expressed discontent with the current preventive measures after two women sued Apple last year over incidences of stalking via AirTags.
Google made this statement at its annual developer conference, where company executives displayed their most recent developments in artificial intelligence and announced new hardware goods, including a phone priced at $1,799 (£1,425) that has a phone-like opening and closing mechanism. The termination of the queue for “Bard,” Google’s test conversational chat service, was one the noteworthy news.
Bard will be made available in English in 180 nations and territories. Google also mentioned that the chatbot would soon be able to react to queries using visuals in addition to text. The enormous success of the Microsoft-funded chatbot ChatGPT has put pressure on the tech giant to improve its AI services. In an earlier rally in February, Bard’s awkward response to advertising brought about the demonstration’s end.
Alphabet’s share value was significantly impacted by the prior episode, in which Bard gave an inaccurate response, and it suffered a loss of $100 billion (£82 billion). This incident shows how carefully investors are following the developments of the AI projects that the big tech companies are working on.
In terms of Microsoft, the business has made large investments in OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, and is currently integrating ChatGPT technology into its Bing search engine. This action demonstrates Microsoft’s dedication to using AI developments in its products.
Furthermore, the Chinese internet giant Baidu has a chatbot of its own, named Ernie, demonstrating the increasing use of chatbot technologies by other technological organisations.
Gartner’s analyst Chirag Dekate said that the search engine remained an industry leader and was well poised to benefit from the interest in AI. He stated, “Google has the tools to dominate the AI battles, the perennial question is – will they?”