Google’s CEO, Sundar Pichai, recently disclosed plans to incorporate conversational artificial intelligence (AI) into the tech giant’s main search engine.
This announcement, made during an interview with The Wall Street Journal, responds to the increasing competition from AI chatbots like ChatGPT and other business pressures.
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.
Source: The Wall Street Journal
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