According to The New York Times, Google plans to release new AI-powered search tools next month, with even more features coming in Q3 2023. These new features will only be available in the US and will be initially released to a maximum of one million users.
Read: Angry Birds developer Rovio sold to Sega for €700 million
While it’s not clear what these tools will offer, they are likely to build on the conversational promise of Google’s experimental Bard chatbot. The new tools are being developed under the codename “Magi.”
The plans are part of Google’s efforts to compete with new systems like Microsoft’s Bing chatbot and OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Many believe that these chatbots could one day replace traditional search engines like Google, despite their shortcomings.
Google’s position is so threatened that Samsung is reportedly considering replacing Google with Bing as the default search engine on its mobile devices. While this deal is estimated to be worth $3 billion in annual revenue for Google, the company has a similar deal with Apple worth approximately $20 billion. However, it’s not clear how seriously Samsung is considering the switch or whether it’s simply taking advantage of Google’s moment of weakness.
Aside from project Magi, Google is also planning a more radical rebuild of its search engine. However, the Times reports that there’s “no clear timetable on when it will release the new search technology.”
In addition to these developments, Google is also reportedly working on a range of other AI tools, including an AI image generator called GIFI, a language learning system called Tivoli Tutor, and a feature called Searchalong that integrates a chatbot into Google’s Chrome browser to answer questions related to the current web page. This is similar to Microsoft’s Bing AI sidebar for its Edge browser.
As Google continues to face competition from new AI systems, it’s clear that the tech giant is making significant efforts to remain at the forefront of the industry.
