Search Engine Wars: Don't Count Out Bing Just Yet
- By CDOTrends editors
- January 09, 2023
Over the last decade, Google has undoubtedly been the search engine of choice for most internet users. However, Microsoft may still have a trick up its sleeve involving AI.
According to a recent report, Microsoft is planning to launch a version of Bing that uses the AI behind ChatGPT, a recently released AI chatbot from OpenAI that allows users to find answers quickly and accurately.
By applying the same AI as ChatGPT, Microsoft aims to give users answers to specific queries instead of just displaying relevant links. Two people familiar with the plans revealed the news to The Information. According to them, the new version of Bing could be launched as early as March of this year.
ChatGPT has been trending over the last month for its ability to generate human-like text responses to questions. It was developed by OpenAI, an artificial intelligence company backed by Microsoft, with a USD1 billion investment in 2019. Last December, OpenAI released its first version of the AI chatbot, quickly gaining tech enthusiasts and experts' attention.
In January 2022, Bing held a measly 2.27% share of the market compared to Google's 92.18%. With its use of ChatGPT, Microsoft is hoping to give Bing the boost it needs to compete with what seems to be a monopoly in the search engine space.
Google retaliates
However, Google will likely not take this challenge lying down. There have been reports that Google is also looking into creating a ChatGPT-like AI for its search engine. According to reports, Google's management issued a "code red," and chief executive officer Sundar Pichai has called for a refocusing of efforts within the company to address the potential threat posed by ChatGPT.
Before this, Google's stance on AI-generated content skewed towards a no. Google's John Mueller even stated that content generated automatically using AI writing tools violates Google's Webmaster Guidelines. However, some of the SEO community believes that AI-generated content should be acceptable, especially if it adds value to the web and doesn’t just act as a placeholder for information.
Though it's still too early to tell which AI-powered search engine will come out on top, Microsoft is certainly shaking up the competition. If the rumors are true, it could be a massive win for Microsoft and Bing, especially in the competitive search engine market. And either way, it looks like AI technology is here to stay. Time will tell which search engine reigns supreme.
Image credit: iStockphoto/D3signAllTheThings