How search queries take place when a user is looking for online information is evolving. AI-powered search engines are offering more intuitive and natural ways to find information. Further, these allow users to ask direct questions and receive instant answers. Moreover, they're challenging the reign of traditional search engines like Google. Some even believe these services represent the future of search technology!
ChatGPT, a new AI chat-based search engine powered by Artificial Intelligence, arose in this context. Given this landscape, relevant search engines are not quiet. In fact, Google launched LaMDA (Language Model for Dialogue Applications) in 2021. But nowadays, many Google leaders wonder if there was a wasted chance to be a disruptive tech leader. With such a competitive market and advances in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Natural Language Understanding, and Large Language Models, what's the future of the search industry?
What is ChatGPT?
ChatGPT responses use the GPT-3 Language Model to produce user-input-based responses by harnessing the power of Natural Language Processing. Its focus relies on being natural and offering its users a wide range of answers. Beyond giving conversational responses, it provides information and even engages in dialogue. It uses the vast knowledge and massive database the GPT-3 model has training on. Yet, there's a keynote to highlight. ChatGPT is a purely Artificial Intelligence platform. It doesn't have access to the internet or external information. Thus, its training also limits the range of questions it can answer.
How can ChatGPT Help Development?
There are a few ways that ChatGPT can help in IT and Software Development. For instance, it provides suggestions or code snippets based on inputs. Also, ChatGPT can assist in debugging processes. It offers potential solutions based on error messages or user-provided info.
Yet, it has another use—the one that brought us to write about it. GhatGPT's benefits extend to the human dialogue concept. The service can give direct answers to programming languages or technical IT questions. Even more, ChatGPT can answer software-related questions about the code itself. Not only does this offer quick solutions in interactive ways, but this procedure can potentially beat traditional search engines. This doubt left us wondering: could ChatGPT outcome Google?
What Makes ChatGPT Different
Let's be honest; ChatGPT is a powerful tool. Even more, it can potentially be a fundamental piece of working environments. Within the IT and Software Development field, its answers can be mind blowing. Not only can ChatGPT retrieve input with code, but it also helps developers find errors or bugs in a presented code. It can even tell which tech stack suits a project better!
In this sense, we noticed a couple of things. ChatGPT reached 1M users only a week after launching. What's more, it took it only nine days to achieve the highest level of interest, according to Google Trends (US). So, our first analysis relates to its newness. While taking its first steps, it will, without a doubt, receive more data. Time and updates will fuel it to provide more profound and accurate answers about a wide range of topics.
Nonetheless, this reflection led us to our second thought. Like most AI-driven platforms, ChatGPT's efficacy lies in the prompts' accuracy. As it cannot always capture the nuances of human language, it will not always provide users with detailed answers. While almost perfect in reliability performance for conversational search experiences, there's another keynote to emphasize. Let's illustrate this point with an example. If you ask ChatGPT how to develop X using Y tech, its default answer will relate to Y tech's first version. The platform cannot tell if you're working with another version of Y's tech unless you tell it so. Thus, internet users must be as detailed as possible to receive correct answers to questions (prompt).
But wait, there's more! We're accustomed to recurring to Google when in doubt or for specific resources. Yet, given its structure, finding answers can take several minutes. A vast amount of responses don't appear as featured snippets, nor on the most famous search engine's first page. Thus, we often wander the web searching for solutions to specific problems.
It's quite possible that we never stood up and thought about this procedure and the time it took. But, when faced with ChatGPT, we all uncover other layers of our work processes. With this platform, we receive detailed and precise answers in seconds. Another highlight is that all answers have their corresponding context in this context. It goes beyond providing clear solutions—all responses come with logical explanations. So, it's informative and a valuable tool for education!
Can ChatGPT overtake Google?
While ChatGPT is taking the lead on text search, it also has its withdrawals. First, as of Dec. 2022, we only use its beta version. There's the chance that its following versions won't be free. In that scenario, its use will have paywall limits and narrow to those able to afford it.
Another con of ChatGPT is that its only data source comes from its training. So, its answers, while accurate, lack the mixture of approaches of traditional engines. Plus, engines like Google offer several types of results: pages, images, videos, and more. ChatGPT doesn't seem the best choice when looking for balance.
Discussing the variety of formats also brings forums into the conversation. Could ChatGPT beat online spaces like Reddit or StackOverflow? It can be the case with specific questions in need of concrete answers. With this approach, topic-related forums may see a downsize in traffic and engagement. Yet, ChatGPT lacks humans' imagination, creativity, and eloquence.
And most importantly, human-to-human dialogues and small talk. This aspect is especially relevant in the big-picture debate on AI-driven possible futures. Plenty of people see AI tools as valuable resources. Meanwhile, others view them as a menace to the human workforce.
Cassie Kozyrkov provides an exciting approach that can look like a ChatGPT weakness. In her Medium article, she asks for an explication of ChatGPT's relation with GANs. It comes with an impressive and compelling answer in a matter of seconds! Yet, the newest Artificial Intelligence star forgot something. Rather than being a Generative Adversarial Network (GAN), it's a GPT. The trick was Kozyrkov's choice of words. Since she used the concept "relate," and the AI knew what a GAN was, it gave a response. But while factual, the comprehensive answer was not 100% true.
At one point in this conversation, ChatGPT makes quite a revelation. Its outputs only touch reality at a tangent. And this idea also relates to the concept of truth. The AI platform does not lie because, in essence, it doesn't know what a lie is. GPT is indifferent to the truth because it relies on and trusts its received data.
What's more, this disclosure brought with it several debates about the ethics of AI. This intersection's relevance will increase as time passes. That's because AI-driven platforms only acknowledge their received data. Thus, biases and social behaviors will be fundamental to defining the future of T2T AI. In sum, it's something to consider if you aim to apply this powerful Language Model as a search engine.
Conclusion
Ultimately, the answer to "Will this AI-powered chatbot outcome giants like Microsoft or Google?" depends solely on ChatGPT. Right now, both tools have the potential to work together rather than against each other. The straightforward approach of ChatGPT with Google's powerful search engine and complex algorithm sounds like a match. Yet, its scaling seems limitless. It may start offering rich media alternatives as relevant responses. Also, it may enhance multi-user workspaces. And, if the biggest search engine isn't active enough, Chat GPT will change the search paradigm.
