In an effort to counter competition from Microsoft and OpenAI, Google is reportedly readying a new AI-powered search engine. According to the New York Times, the company is in the early stages of creating a search service that will try to predict what you want from it, hoping to deliver "a much more personalized experience."
The project "does not have a clear timetable". However, we do know that Google is also developing a number of new AI features for its existing search engine codenamed “Magi”.
Among the features Google is developing is a chatbot that can answer software engineering questions and generate quotes code. The company has also been experimenting with a feature that would allow users to search for music through a chatbot. According to the Times, the company has tasked more than 160 employees with the redesign.
Other new additions "in various stages of development" include a Chrome feature called "Searchalong." It will allow a chatbot to scan the web page you are reading to offer contextual information.
For example, if you're looking for a place to stay on Airbnb, you could ask the chatbot to tell you what you want to see and do in the properties you're planning to rent.
“GIFI” and “Tivoli Tutor” are two other experimental features that will allow users to ask Google Image Search to generate images, but also to chat with a chatbot to learn a new language.
It is worth mentioning that many of these are functions that Google has presented in the past or exist on other platforms such as Duolingo . For example, creating images is already available in the service Slides.
Google reportedly plans to announce Magi next month before introducing additional new features sometime in the fall. This timeline suggests that the project will make its appearance at I/O 2023.
The company plans to bring Magi's capabilities to one million people in the US before expanding availability to 30 millions users by the end of the year.
Underscoring the importance of Magi to Google, the Samsung reportedly told the company last month that it was considering making Bing the default search on its devices. The statement reportedly sent Google into a "panic." The company's search deal with Samsung is worth about $3 billion a year.
This year, the lucrative search deal with Apple, the subject of frequent antitrust scrutiny, is also up for renewal.
