2022 was a big year for consumer-use generative AI with software like Lensa and Midjourney capturing the public’s attention. The year closed off with the release of Open AIs own ChatGPT, a generative chatbot which — in some ways — acts like a focused Google Search.
While some media and tech influencers have been pushing the narrative that ChatGPT is an existential threat to Google search, this isn’t the first time in the 2020s that Google’s competitive MOAT has been called into question.
Tiktok filled US headlines in late 2022 (like this one) as a potential death-knell for Google Search, at least among Gen-Z urbanites looking for restaurants and other experiences.
Why is ChatGPT so intriguing?
Beyond the amusing responses it can provide for witty user queries, ChatGPT has some serious promise.
Google is primarily a search engine. It provides other services of course through its suite of products like Maps, Youtube, News, Android OS among others. However, the majority of its the online consumer products it’s known for revolve around some form of search, or more specifically, connecting users to information.
In the AI cult hit, Ex Machina, billionaire antagonist and founder of market dominant search-engine Bluebook, Nathan muses how search provided an insight into how people think, rather than what people thought about:
“Here’s the weird thing about search engines. It was like striking oil in a world that hadn’t invented internal combustion. Too much raw material. Nobody knew what to do with it. You see, my competitors, they were fixated on sucking it up and monetizing via shopping and social media. They thought that search engines were a map of what people were thinking. But actually they were a map of how people were thinking. Impulse. Response. Fluid. Imperfect. Patterned. Chaotic.”
Google is typically the search engine users default to whether it be on an Apple device, an Android phone, or a Windows laptop.
Their page-rank algorithm and site-indexing capabilities are second-to-none and the company dominates markets it operates in.
When it comes to getting information, ChatGPTs biggest edge over a traditional Google query is in the direct single query response. While Google may return a ranked list of the most relevant results and often a small snippet of text from the top-ranked source, the user must then spend time filtering through the sources to find the most relevant one for the specific user. Time the user could save if the most relevant answer were already presented to them. Time saved only by one who generated a response tailored specifically to the query.
With a generative tool like ChatGPT, one can expect a relevant result immediately upon submitting their query. For example, if you want to learn how to extract specific columns from a dataframe in R, write a summary of a book as a rap in the style of Dr. Dre, or find what the largest animal in the world is, just type in your question into ChatGPT’s text entry box and watch as the tool responds with an answer. There’s no need for an additional manual search through the responses.
The veracity of ChatGPTs answers have been tested with mixed results. For narrow, simple searches such as programming questions or general knowledge, it performs well. The ability for it to synthesize and respond to human language text is fantastic.
Shortly after its release, Google announced its own imitative Bard AI. Although a recent error the chatbot made wiped $100 billion from the tech giant’s market cap, the true capabilities of AI chatbots such as Bard and ChatGPT have yet to be completely tapped.
Chatbots can serve a myriad of functions. Replika, a chatbot which picks up on its users’ texting styles, is an AI friend/companion one can carry in their pocket. Yes, you read that right. As you’re reading this, thousands of people are conversing with an AI chatbot as an interactive journal, dear companion, or personal therapist. We are already in the world of Jarvis.
While still farfetched, consumer-facing AI have far more applications than serving as repositories of information or generating amusing content. They can help people improve skills, provide companionship, control physical devices, and much much more.
AI enabled interfaces will become much more prevalent within people’s lives, and all because we value the convenience they can provide.
It isn’t the math behind the magic consumers are fascinated by, nor the magic itself, though that has certainly captured investors’ eyes. The results matter most: time saved, money earned, productivity gained, quality of life improved.
Any successful business leveraging AI will understand this and implement accordingly.
It’s still early to say what’s down the road for tools like ChatGPT. It has heaps of potential beyond novelty or a nightmare for educators across the globe. They may revolutionize how we receive and transfer information, upskill, and much more.
Only time will tell.
While writing this, I thought it might be fun to have ChatGPT generate content about itself for itself. Meta and whatnot. Below are the results of three prompts I fed the generative model with some human editing.
Enjoy.
Why ChatGPT is a Threat to Google Search
ChatGPT, a powerful natural language processing tool developed by OpenAI, is gaining popularity as a new way to find information online. While Google has long been the dominant search engine, ChatGPT is quickly becoming a formidable competitor. In fact, some experts believe that ChatGPT could be to Google what TikTok was to Facebook.
So why is ChatGPT a threat to Google search? The answer lies in the psychology of convenience and the power of personalized recommendations.
Convenience
One of the main reasons why people use Google search is convenience. It’s quick and easy to type in a search term and get a list of results. However, ChatGPT takes convenience to the next level. With ChatGPT, users can ask questions in natural language, just as they would ask a human expert. This means they don’t have to worry about using the right keywords or phrasing their search query in a specific way. They can simply ask their question and get a direct, personalized answer.
Personalization
Another key advantage of ChatGPT is its ability to provide personalized recommendations. Google search relies on algorithms that analyze data such as search history and location to make recommendations. However, ChatGPT takes personalization a step further by analyzing not only search history, but also the user’s behavior and preferences. This means that ChatGPT can provide highly relevant and personalized recommendations that are tailored to the user’s individual needs.
TikTok Effect
The rise of TikTok showed that there is a demand for personalized, bite-sized content that is easy to consume and share. Similarly, ChatGPT’s ability to provide personalized recommendations in a conversational format makes it an appealing alternative to traditional search engines. With ChatGPT, users can get information quickly and easily, without having to sift through irrelevant results.
Conclusion
While Google search has long been the dominant search engine, ChatGPT is quickly becoming a formidable competitor. Its ability to provide personalized recommendations in a conversational format makes it an appealing alternative to traditional search engines. As users become more accustomed to the convenience and personalization of ChatGPT, Google may find itself struggling to keep up. It remains to be seen whether ChatGPT will truly be to Google what TikTok was to Facebook, but it’s clear that it has the potential to disrupt the search engine landscape in a major way.
Why Google Can Still Win
User familiarity
Google has been the dominant search engine for over two decades, and many users are accustomed to using Google search for all their information needs. While ChatGPT offers a new way to find information, some users may be hesitant to switch to a new platform and may prefer the familiarity of Google.
Search breadth and depth
Google has indexed billions of web pages and has developed advanced algorithms to provide users with a wide range of results for any given search query. While ChatGPT can provide personalized recommendations, its ability to surface less popular or niche content may be limited.
Business integration
Google has integrated its search engine into a variety of other products, such as Gmail, Google Maps, and Google Drive. This integration allows for a seamless user experience and creates a network effect that makes it difficult for users to switch to a new platform.
Advertising revenue
Google generates the majority of its revenue from advertising, and its search engine is a key part of its advertising ecosystem. Advertisers are familiar with Google’s platform and may be hesitant to shift their advertising budgets to a new platform.
Learning curve
While ChatGPT’s conversational format is appealing to some users, it may not be as intuitive for others. Users may need to learn how to phrase their questions in a way that ChatGPT understands, which could create a learning curve that Google does not have.
Conclusion
While ChatGPT offers a new and exciting way to find information online, Google has a number of advantages that make it a formidable competitor. Ultimately, the winner of the search engine wars will likely be the platform that can provide the most relevant, personalized, and convenient user experience.
Amazon Lex: Another Competitor?
Amazon has several chatbot and conversational AI initiatives, including Alexa, which is already a household name. However, Amazon is also working on a new chatbot platform called Amazon Lex, designed to help developers build conversational interfaces for a wide range of applications.
Amazon Lex uses advanced NLP and machine learning algorithms to understand natural language requests and respond with appropriate information or actions. The platform can be used to build chatbots for customer service, information retrieval, and even automation of business processes.
One unique feature of Amazon Lex is its integration with other Amazon Web Services (AWS) tools, such as Amazon Lambda, which allows developers to easily create custom actions and workflows. Amazon Lex also offers built-in support for popular messaging platforms such as Slack and Facebook Messenger.
Overall, Amazon Lex is focused on providing developers with a powerful and flexible platform for building conversational interfaces. While it may not have the same consumer-facing presence as Alexa, it has the potential to be a significant player in the enterprise chatbot market.
Conclusion
In conclusion, ChatGPT is a revolutionary tool that provides a direct, single-query response, saving users time and increasing convenience. While it may not replace Google search entirely, it has the potential to become a formidable competitor, especially for narrow, simple searches. Chatbots like ChatGPT can serve many functions beyond providing information or generating amusing content. They can improve skills, provide companionship, and control physical devices, among other things. As AI-enabled interfaces become more prevalent in people’s lives, businesses that understand and leverage the convenience of AI will likely thrive. The future of tools like ChatGPT remains uncertain, but their potential for revolutionizing how we receive and transfer information, and much more, is exciting.
