Is ChatGPT-like technology going to replace commercial search engines?

Library Hi Tech News, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print

DOI: 10.1108/10.1108/LHTN-02-2024-0026

[Original article]

Artur Strzelecki
University of Economics in Katowice
1 Maja 50, 40-287
Katowice, Poland

Abstract:

Purpose

This paper aims to give an overview of the history and evolution of commercial search engines. It traces the development of search engines from their early days to their current form as complex technology-powered systems that offer a wide range of features and services.

Design/methodology/approach

In recent years, advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) technology have led to the development of AI-powered chat services. This study explores official announcements and releases of three major search engines, Google, Bing and Baidu, of AI-powered chat services.

Findings

Three major players in the search engine market, Google, Microsoft and Baidu started to integrate AI chat into their search results. Google has released Bard, later upgraded to Gemini, a LaMDA-powered conversational AI service. Microsoft has launched Bing Chat, renamed later to Copilot, a GPT-powered by OpenAI search engine. The largest search engine in China, Baidu, released a similar service called Ernie. There are also new AI-based search engines, which are briefly described.

Originality/value

This paper discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the traditional – algorithmic powered search engines and modern search with generative AI support, and the possibilities of merging them into one service. This study stresses the types of inquiries provided to search engines, users’ habits of using search engines and the technological advantage of search engine infrastructure.

Keywords:

ChatGPT; Microsoft Bing; Google Gemini; Baidu; Ernie AI; search engine, language model,

Full text:

PDF

How to cite:

Strzelecki, A. (2024). Is ChatGPT-like technology going to replace commercial search engines?. Library Hi Tech News. https://doi.org/10.1108/LHTN-02-2024-0026.

References:

  1. Adiwardana, D., Luong, M.-T., So, D. R., Hall, J., Fiedel, N., Thoppilan, R., Yang, Z., Kulshreshtha, A., Nemade, G., Lu, Y., & Le, Q. V. (2020). Towards a human-like open-domain chatbot. http://arxiv.org/abs/2001.09977
  2. Huang, Z. (2023). Chinese Search Giant Baidu to Launch ChatGPT-Style Bot. Bloomberg. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-01-30/chinese-search-giant-baidu-to-launch-chatgpt-style-bot-in-march
  3. Mehdi, Y. (2023). Reinventing search with a new AI-powered Microsoft Bing and Edge, your copilot for the web. Microsoft. https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2023/02/07/reinventing-search-with-a-new-ai-powered-microsoft-bing-and-edge-your-copilot-for-the-web/
  4. Mo, Y., & Baptista, E. (2023). China’s Baidu unveils new Ernie AI version to rival GPT-4. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/technology/chinas-baidu-unveils-latest-version-its-ernie-ai-model-2023-10-17/
  5. Norocel, O. C., & Lewandowski, D. (2023). Google, data voids, and the dynamics of the politics of exclusion. Big Data & Society, 10(1), 205395172211490. https://doi.org/10.1177/20539517221149099
  6. OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT: Optimizing language models for dialogue. https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt/
  7. Pichai, S. (2023). An important next step on our AI journey. Google. https://blog.google/technology/ai/bard-google-ai-search-updates/
  8. Pitt, S. (2023). Google vs. ChatGPT: Here’s what happened when I swapped services for a day. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/15/google-vs-chatgpt-what-happened-when-i-swapped-services-for-a-day.html
  9. Strzelecki, A., & Miklosik, A. (2024). Device-dependent click-through rate estimation in Google organic search results based on clicks and impressions data. Aslib Journal of Information Management. https://doi.org/10.1108/AJIM-04-2023-0107
  10. Strzelecki, A., & Rutecka, P. (2020). Direct Answers in Google Search Results. IEEE Access, 8, 103642–103654. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2020.2999160

License:

This author accepted manuscript is deposited under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC) licence. This means that anyone may distribute, adapt, and build upon the work for non-commercial purposes, subject to full attribution. If you wish to use this manuscript for commercial purposes, please visit Marketplace