Tencent Technology News on April 23, Google and its parent company Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said in a recent interview that because artificial intelligence occupies a central position, although search is still important, it is no longer Google's core business.
Pichai confirmed that Google is developing a new AI-powered search engine to surpass Microsoft and OpenAI. In the interview, he was asked whether adopting the chatbot Bard and other AI technologies would kill Google's cash cow. Pichai responded that while search is still important, it is no longer the company's core business because AI has taken center stage.
In recent years, Google has been looking for ways to stop relying solely on ad revenue and search, and is now focused on adopting AI technology across its ecosystem. In fact, the tech giant's new search engine is just that in mind.
The search engine, known internally as "Magi," is still in the early stages of creation, and Google has yet to say when it will be released. In addition, the company plans to roll out more new features for Magi over time. Do you remember the report of Bard being tested in a regular Google search? This feature is still in development, and apparently it's also part of Magi.
Google plans to offer Magi to 30 million users in the U.S. by December. This means that if it's the next version of Bard and can be combined directly with search, Chrome, and other Google products, it could help lure large numbers of users away from ChatGPT and Bing Search. In other words, this could be Google's official entry into AI, and Bard is just a sample.
Pichai said Google has decided to delay releasing a more advanced version of Bard, which can reason, plan and connect to the internet on its own so that the company can conduct more testing, get more user feedback, and develop stronger security fences. Clearly, Google has been slow to release AI advances.
Critics argue that AI is moving too fast, but the competitive pressure between tech giants like Google and smaller startups is proppelling humanity into the future, whether we're ready or not. Pichai said society needs to adapt quickly, enacting AI regulations in the economy, enacting laws that punish the misuse of AI, and developing treaties between countries to ensure the safety of AI around the world.
"You know, one way we think is: How do we develop AI systems that align with human values, including ethics," he said. So I think this development requires not only engineers, but also social scientists, ethicists, philosophers, etc. I think we have to think about it, and these are all things that society needs to figure out as it moves forward. It's not for companies to decide. ”
Pichai went on to emphasize that Google is taking its responsibility seriously to make AI something beneficial and harmless for humanity's future, which better explains why it took the company so long to launch a chatbot solution. While Google may have been caught off guard by the rapid rise of ChatGPT and Bing, it hasn't made harsh comments about the quick moves of its rivals. In interviews, Pichai gave a noncommittal answer when asked whether it was irresponsible for the companies to push chatbots to the public without spending much time testing them internally.
Google's upcoming product also includes a Chrome-based chatbot that can answer software engineering questions, create code snippets, and music lyrics; There's also a Chrome feature called Searchalong, which scans the web pages you're reading to provide you with relevant information. Google already has 160 employees in this area, allegedly mainly from the Google Assistant team. Microsoft Edge has integrated Bing AI into the side panel of the browser, and it makes perfect sense for Google to integrate it into its own browser.
In any case, this is all speculation based on the information we have, but one thing is certain: with Samsung threatening to swap out the default browser of all its devices with Bing instead of using Google Search, and with Apple's default browser contract with Google expiring this year, Google Search desperately needs a forward-looking makeover to stay relevant, even within the company.
Overall, we think Google is ready to compete and will coexist with other AI and chatbots on the market. In addition, the name of Google Assistant may not change, but it will be powered by Bard to replace the outdated technology that currently powers it. Eventually, this voice assistant will use voice commands on smart displays and anywhere else.
Finally, Bard or the new version of Google Assistant may be integrated into Chrome's side panel as a useful way to chat intelligently find information through conversations, and appear next to Google Search, which will be the new Google Search, aka Magi. We want to see: Will Google shed the household name it has left over the past 25 years and try to redefine itself in the new era? (Golden Deer)