OpenAI still focuses on search.
On July 25th local time, OpenAI released the prototype of its AI search product SearchGPT. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said, "We believe there is still room for improvement in today's search
For this AI search, OpenAI officially provides four major features: quickly and timely obtaining answers to questions, real-time information from relevant sources, searching in a more natural and intuitive way, and obtaining visual responses with images and videos in an easy to understand format.
In the officially released demonstration video, when searching for "When can I see sea rabbits (sea slugs) in Half Moon Bay City this weekend?", it will give the answer "should go during low tide, because sea rabbits often appear in intertidal zones and rocky coasts", and attach the low tide time of this week. At the same time, it will also remind users to check local tide prediction websites to confirm if there are any latest changes. Subsequently, the user asked again if it would be very hot, and SearchGPT directly replied with a weather chart for the next week.
SearchGPT Search and Follow up Demonstration Video (00:17)
OpenAI claims that using SearchGPT is "like talking to a person, where each query builds a shared context. Ultraman also stated that compared to traditional search, "I was pleasantly surprised to find that I really like this search method, and I adapt very quickly.
Previously, Ultraman stated that OpenAI has no intention of creating another Google search. "I think Google search is boring. If the question is whether we can build a better search engine than Google or others, then of course, we should do so... What excites me is not that we can replicate a better Google search, but perhaps there is a better way to help people find, utilize, and synthesize information
In a demonstration screenshot, you can see the overall interface layout of SearchGPT. After clicking the link, the corresponding summary content will appear on the right side, and you can continue to follow up. The left side will also display more relevant search content.
According to tests conducted by journalists from The Paper, when asking the same questions as in the SearchGPT demonstration, other AI search products such as Perplexity also triggered the AI summary function, providing corresponding graphic guides and precautions, but failed to provide suggestions for the time period corresponding to the question. Meanwhile, Google Search did not trigger the AI summary, and the search results were all information from the past or even years ago. In domestic search products, Baidu search for English questions directly triggers translation, but switching to Chinese questions does not trigger AI summarization. Quark search prompts word learning when asking in English, but can provide AI summarization when switching to Chinese, but also fails to provide suggestions for the corresponding time period of the question.
Previously, foreign media reporters stated that since using AI search, their usage of Google has decreased by at least 75%.
SearchGPT interface
Meanwhile, OpenAI also stated that SearchGPT aims to help users establish connections with publishers by highlighting references and links in searches. "Search results have clear and named affiliations and links, so users know where information comes from and can quickly access more information in a sidebar with source links. OpenAI has also introduced a method that allows publishers to manage how their content is displayed in SearchGPT.
OpenAI stated that SearchGPT is still in the prototype stage and will integrate the best features into ChatGPT after collecting feedback for improvement. If you want to try it out, you need to manually click to enter the candidate queue and wait.
OpenAI emphasizes that SearchGPT is about search and is not related to training OpenAI's generative AI base model. Even if websites choose to opt out of generative AI training, they can still appear in search results.
When asked when audio will be supported, Ultraman replied that the beta version will start rolling out to more subscribers next week.