Google CEO Sundar Pichai has announced plans to incorporate conversational artificial intelligence (AI) into the company’s main search engine. The announcement was made during an interview with The Wall Street Journal, and it comes as Google faces increasing competition from AI chatbots like ChatGPT, as well as other business pressures.
The incorporation of conversational AI into Google’s search engine is expected to improve the user experience by making it more intuitive and natural. This technology will allow users to ask questions in a conversational manner, similar to how they would ask a person. The system will then use natural language processing to understand the user’s intent and provide relevant search results.
This move by Google is not surprising, as the company has been investing heavily in AI technologies over the past few years. In 2018, Google launched Duplex, an AI-powered digital assistant that can make phone calls and schedule appointments on behalf of users. Since then, the company has been expanding its AI capabilities across various products and services.
The incorporation of conversational AI into the search engine will also help Google compete with other tech giants, such as Amazon and Microsoft, who have already invested heavily in this technology. Amazon’s Alexa and Microsoft’s Cortana are two examples of conversational AI assistants that have gained widespread popularity.
However, incorporating conversational AI into a search engine is not without its challenges. One of the biggest challenges is ensuring that the system understands the user’s intent correctly. This requires a high level of natural language processing, which can be difficult to achieve.
Another challenge is ensuring that the system provides accurate and relevant search results. This requires the system to have a deep understanding of the user’s query and the context in which it is being asked.
Despite these challenges, the incorporation of conversational AI into Google’s search engine is a significant step forward for the company. It is likely to improve the user experience and help Google remain competitive in the ever-evolving tech landscape.
The Financial Stakes Of AI Integration
The competition to integrate AI into consumer products has intensified since the public release of ChatGPT by OpenAI, a startup backed by Microsoft.
Microsoft has already integrated ChatGPT-like technology into its search engine, Bing, posing a challenge to Google’s core business.
Bing users can now engage in extended conversations with the language model, which has increased usage.
That’s a problem for Google, as search ads are its primary source of revenue, generating $162 billion last year.
For every percentage point gained in the search market, Microsoft expects an additional $2 billion in revenue.
Google has been cautious about adopting AI-powered chatbots due to concerns about their accuracy.
Pichai revealed that Google will continue refining its standalone Bard chatbot with new AI models and is still searching for the right market.
Balancing AI Development With Cost Management
Developing AI technology requires immense computing power to process calculations for human-like conversations.
Pichai acknowledged that Google must balance using resources for AI work and managing costs.
To keep costs manageable, Google Brain and DeepMind, the company’s primary AI units, will collaborate more closely on efforts to create large algorithms.
Google, like Microsoft, hopes to leverage its investment in AI models to win a broader business.
Recently, Google opened access to its Pathways Language Model for developers on its cloud-computing service.
Pichai predicts that smaller AI models will become increasingly helpful, allowing companies to design their own or enable users to run algorithms on personal devices.
In Summary
Google’s decision to include conversational AI in its search engine shows a significant change in the industry.
Competing with Microsoft, Google is evolving to keep leading the search market.
This action may impact user interactions with search engines, shaping the future of SEO and digital marketing.
