Google plans to add chatbots to its search engine, testing multiple versions

 Google plans to add chatbots to its search engine, testing multiple versions

Google plans to bring chatbot functionality to its search engine.

Google plans to add conversational artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities to its search engine, and that the company is currently testing several versions of the search engine. Google CEO Sundar Pichai (Sundar Pichai) believes that this move may subvert the traditional use of search engines based on links for 20 years. The Wall Street Journal introduced that Google has long been developing large language models (LLM) The field occupies a leader advantage, but it has not yet applied this technology to the search engine field. LLM can process text and generate a human-like language response, which is the basis for the operation of Chatbots such as ChatGPT and Bard.

　　In March, Google opened up access to the chatbot Bard to some users in the UK and the US. However, the company does not embed Bard in the search engine, but presents it as a separate page. At the bottom of Bard's reply is a button called "Google It," which takes you to a traditional Google search page.

As for the reason for the change, Pichai explained that this is to deal with the competition brought about by chatbots such as ChatGPT and to ease business pressure. In addition, he also said that advances in AI technology will enhance the ability of Google's search engine to respond to search queries.

　　Currently, Google is planning how to integrate LLM into the search engine. The company is testing several new versions of the search engine, including a version that allows users to follow the original query.

　　Pichai said the move could upend the traditional use of search engines based on links, which has been used for more than 20 years.

In addition, Pichai also dismissed the idea that chatbots would pose a threat to Google's search engine business. Search engine is one of Google's core businesses. Taking the fourth quarter of 2022 as an example, Google's search engine and related businesses are worth US$42.604 billion in the quarter, accounting for more than half of parent company Alphabet's US$76.048 billion in revenue.

As things stand, Google doesn't have the upper hand. In terms of the combination of search engine and LLM, Microsoft has taken the lead. Back in February, the company launched a new version of Bing powered by GPT technology, a new version of the search engine that can start a conversation with users and include links to reference web pages in the generated answers.

　　The move was seen as a challenge to Google's search engine, which Microsoft had estimated would generate $2 billion in revenue for every 1 percent of the search engine market. Google currently occupies more than 90% of the search engine market.

　　Now it seems that Microsoft made no mistake in this step. After the launch of the new version of Bing, the global downloads of the software soared 10 times overnight, and it jumped to the top of the list of the most popular free applications in the Apple App Store. tenth place. Earlier, Microsoft announced on its blog that the software had more than 100 million daily active users.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella once said, "A race based on a new platform technology has begun."

It's worth noting that, in addition to competition from Microsoft, Google is also under pressure to cut costs. In January of this year, the company said it would lay off about 12,000 people, or about 6% of its workforce, the largest layoff plan since the company was founded.

Last week, Google was exposed to reduce the office benefits of employees, including reducing the frequency of equipment replacement, reducing the provision of office supplies such as staplers and tapes, and closing employee cafes.

　　According to Pichai, Google has yet to meet the 20% productivity improvement goal he set last September. He said the company was satisfied with the current changes, but declined to say whether there would be a second round of layoffs.

　　AI technology requires huge computing power support, and the cost of computing power is very high. Pichai said that in the future, Google will continue to manage costs while adjusting company resources. For example, Google's two main AI divisions, Google Brain and DeepMind, will work more closely together to build large algorithms, he said.

　　Despite cost-cutting moves, Google is advancing its work in AI and accelerating the development of new products. Pichai said Google would continue to improve Bard with new AI models, but he did not say when the product would be available to all users.

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