Tech giant Google is characterized by a plethora of projects to secure its core business against growing competition from AI rivals. These projects include updates to the company’s existing search engine and plans for an entirely new AI-powered version.
It emerged recently that the company’s employees were shocked when the news came that Samsung is considering replacing Google with Microsoft’s Bing as the default search engine on its devices, writes the New York Times. Bing, long a hidden player in search engines, has recently attracted interest through the implementation of new AI technology. Samsung’s considerations are seen as a potential threat to Google’s significant contract, which generates around $3 billion annually in revenue. In addition, another $20 billion is at risk of being lost with a similar Apple contract expiring within the year.
Google is speeding up work on a brand new AI-powered search engine
To counter this new AI challenge, Google is accelerating work on a brand new AI-powered search engine as well as upgrading the existing one with AI capabilities. This takes place within the framework of the Magi project, where designers, engineers and senior executives work together to test and refine the latest versions. With the new search engine, Google hopes to offer users a more personalized experience by trying to anticipate user needs. “We’re excited to introduce new AI-powered features to search, but as always, not every idea or product leads to a launch,” Google spokeswoman Lara Levin said in a statement to the Times. Changes to Google’s search engine can have a significant impact on people’s lives, given that billions of people use the service daily. The threat from Samsung marks the first crack in Google’s otherwise seemingly impenetrable search business, which was valued at $162 billion last year. Internal speculation at Google points to Microsoft’s AI innovations as the likely reason for Samsung’s consideration, despite the contract still being negotiated.
“Wants to take control of the next big AI-based innovation”
A priority for Google is to take control of the next big AI-based innovation. The company recently launched its own chatbot, Bard, which however received mixed reviews. Plans for the new search engine are still in the early stages, with no clear timetable for when the new technology will be launched. Project Magi will add features to the existing search engine, according to internal documents. Google has more than 160 people working full-time on the project. It is also planned that search results that can lead to a financial transaction, for example buying shoes or booking a flight, will continue to be presented with advertisements. This is important for Google, as advertising revenue is the main source of the company’s income.
New features will be released in a month
Google plans to release the new features to the public next month and add more features in the fall, according to planning documents. The company plans to initially release the features to a maximum of one million people. This number is to be gradually increased to 30 million before the end of the year, and the features will be available exclusively in the US. In the future, Google plans to offer a range of other products powered by AI. A tool called GIFI will use AI to generate images in Google image results. Another tool, Tivoli Tutor, will teach users a new language through open AI text conversations. According to Jim Lecinski, former vice president of sales and service at Google, the company is now challenged to convince users that they are as “powerful, competent and modern” as their competitors. “If we’re leading the search engine race and this is a new feature, a new feature, a new hallmark of search engines, we want to make sure we’re in that race as well,” Lecinski said in an interview with the Times.
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