For the first time, the future of Google as the dominant search engine is at stake. At the end of last year, the possibilities of the advanced text generator ChatGPT were presented to the world. Microsoft showed this week that it could fundamentally change a search engine. Google’s answer is already there, but not yet available.
“For me, this is clearly a market battle and an attempt to monetize chatbots as quickly as possible,” says Olya Kudina, assistant professor of ethics and technology (TU Delft). “I am very excited to see how this develops.” He’s also worried. “ChatGPT is not perfect and can be dangerous.”
race start
This week was a sight to behold: Microsoft and Google faced off to show what they were working on. The start of a new race.
Google published a hurried-looking blog post on Monday announcing the existence of the chatbot “Bard.” The functionality is very similar to ChatGPT. It will take some time to become generally available.
On Tuesday, Microsoft created a stir with a sweeping press presentation in which CEO Satya Nadella announced the beginning of a new era for search engines. The new – better – version of ChatGPT will be integrated into the Edge browser and the Bing search engine. If you enter a search query into Microsoft’s Bing search engine, you’ll see not only the classic links, but also a chatbot on the right that provides more detailed answers. The first test version is immediately available.
The Verge was already allowed to try the new version of Bing and Edge:
A new opportunity emerged for Google on Wednesday. In a nearly forty-minute presentation, Bard received only three minutes of attention. There was no CEO Sundar Pichai, so there was no urgency. Also, Google made a mistake when promoting the chatbot: One of the given answers was wrong.
There is much at stake for Google. The company made $60 billion in profits last year, largely thanks to all the ads surrounding its search results. The search giant has more than 90 percent market share. The only thing left to do for Microsoft is profit. The company would also be very happy with a one percent increase in market share – Bing currently owns 3 percent. At the same time, the competition has only just begun and Google is trying not to lose.
The hype surrounding ChatGPT also keeps the Netherlands on alert. A hackathon started yesterday afternoon in Amsterdam where 120 participants (selected from over 500 interested parties) tried out the possibilities of the chatbot for 24 hours. The meeting is an initiative of developer and entrepreneur Jelle Prins.
He is so excited. “In the days after ChatGPT came online, I realized that it was going to replace Google for me. Every now and then you look: Is this true or not? But logical thinking often helps too.”
The best talent is gone
AI researcher Judith van Stegeren says ChatGPT adds to what was said in a chat earlier. “So it sounds very natural.” She has been researching this type of technology for four years as a PhD student at the University of Twente and also attends the hackathon.
Van Stegeren says it has also helped that the OpenAI manufacturer has attracted many top talents from big tech companies. ChatGPT’s dataset – basically all the information the system “learns” – is a combination of text from many websites and books.
Assistant Professor Kudina sees limits as well as opportunities. “He cannot separate fact from fiction. This is problematic because it requires constant attention and knowledge from users.” Kudina has already tested the chatbot with her students and has seen it spawn resources. One key difference is that Bing works with up-to-date information, while ChatGPT has to be content with data until 2021.
“We need to see how ChatGPT works in Bing to see if a user can trust it,” he continues. “This is a fundamental problem with search engines: it’s all corporate technology and done behind closed doors.”
Risks
Microsoft realized the risks of chatbot on Tuesday. Stress tests asking how technology could be misused revealed that the system could provide clues for preparing for an attack on a school.
This makes the whole story pretty dangerous. A chat technology has suddenly emerged that works better than anything, but it’s also prone to misinformation. Now it’s up to Microsoft and Google to keep the chatbot running.
Source: NOS
Jason Jack is an experienced technology journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in computer science and engineering, he has a deep understanding of the latest technology trends and developments. He writes about a wide range of technology topics, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, software development, and cybersecurity.
