When we say generative search engine, we might have to consider a new giant: the generative search engine of OpenAI, meaning the rumoured Search GPT, internally code-named Sonic.
What Is SearchGPT
In a move that could reshape the landscape of AI-powered virtual assistants, OpenAI is reportedly gearing up to introduce a search feature for its ChatGPT platform, a source familiar with the matter revealed. This development puts OpenAI in direct competition with tech giants like Google and emerging startups such as Perplexity in the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence-driven search engines.
According to sources, this is an internally-nick-named project called Sonic, but the market will welcome it as SearchGPT. Sounds familiar? It should be, as Search replaces Chat in their first viral I-powered chatbot – ChatGPT.
How Is SearchGPT Going To Transform The AI Industry?
SearchGPT could come with multiple functions to offer advanced integrations to applications and platforms worldwide, giving even more power to those AI-based tools developed by generative search engineers.
However, it is not only the AI industry that will be transformed. The SEO agencies could also suffer, and all their main core business could shift towards GEO – Generative Engine Optimization.
After becoming the first Generative Engine Optimization Agency in Europe, TUYA Digital is now positioned to offer its clients GEO enhancement and get new clients for this complex and challenging field – generative search.
We offer generative engine optimization services in addition to our regular SEO services. We try and position our clients in a pristine market, those of generative search engines, by applying the best practices in GEO Optimization. The future is not tomorrow; it is here and now, and we must take advantage of it as soon as possible.
Adam C, Digital strategist @TUYADigital – SEO & GEO Services
What Does SearchGPT Offer?
According to the undisclosed source, cited by Bloomberg, the envisioned feature will enable ChatGPT users to pose questions and receive responses that draw upon information from the web, complete with proper citations to sources such as Wikipedia entries and blog posts. One product iteration may incorporate visual aids, such as diagrams, to complement textual explanations for specific queries.
While OpenAI declined to comment on these developments, reports in February hinted at a search-oriented project within the organization. However, the intricate workings of this potential feature have remained undisclosed until now.
Speculation surrounding OpenAI’s foray into search has been rife on social media platforms. Users on X, formerly known as Twitter, have pointed to a mysterious web page—search.chatgpt.com—as a potential harbinger of the forthcoming feature. Although accessing the URL currently yields a “not found” message, intriguingly, it briefly redirected visitors to the official ChatGPT website over the weekend.
This anticipated feature expansion represents a significant leap beyond ChatGPT’s existing capabilities, which presently offer limited access to online search results for select queries, primarily available to paying users. While these searches occasionally include citations, occasional inaccuracies, as the AI is supposedly not connected to the live internet, underscore the need for refinement.
As OpenAI continues to refine and expand ChatGPT’s capabilities, introducing a web search feature could mark a pivotal moment in the evolution of AI-driven virtual assistants. By empowering users with access to curated information from the vast expanse of the internet, accompanied by proper citations and supplementary visuals, OpenAI aims to redefine the boundaries of what’s possible with conversational AI technology.
