In a potentially game-changing move, OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, is rumoured to be entering the web search arena. It looks like the company wants to challenge Google’s longstanding dominance. A report from The Information suggests that OpenAI has been quietly developing a web search product. The report claims that the information was shared by an anonymous insider.
While details about the project remain unclear, speculation is rife about whether the search tool will be seamlessly integrated into ChatGPT or introduced as a standalone product. OpenAI’s ambitious move into Google’s territory seems to bring a whole new experience to how we navigate the internet with search. If the rumours hold, we might witness a shift from the familiar phrase “Google it” to “OpenAI it”.
However, the authenticity of the claims is yet to be verified. OpenAI, itself, has not officially acknowledged the project. The company has been notoriously vigilant about leaks, even resorting to hiring investigators to address potential insider threats.
According to the insider, OpenAI’s search engine might leverage Microsoft’s Bing for certain functionalities. This makes sense with Microsoft’s substantial investments in OpenAI. Not to mention, Microsoft’s ongoing integration of GPT-based AI into various products like Bing Chat and Copilot.
Open AI search landing page generated with Microsoft Copilot
The move follows OpenAI’s pattern of expanding the capabilities of ChatGPT which was initially limited by a data cutoff or silo. In recent months, OpenAI introduced web browsing features, utilizing Bing’s search capabilities. This strategic partnership with Microsoft suggests a collaborative effort to bring about a more contextual and conversational approach to web search. This approach could potentially surpass traditional keyword-focused engines.
Despite the challenges inherent in competing with Google’s established search dominance, OpenAI’s innovative approach and support from Microsoft may pave the way for a new way of searching. The emergence of a search tool with generative and contextual AI features introduces exciting possibilities for the future of search on the internet. However, we will still need to wait and see as OpenAI is playing its cards very close to its chest.
With the FIFA World Cup finally kicking off, Google offers new features in the Search Android app to stay up to date on every kick of the game!
Stay ahead with notifications, statistics and live scores with the Google Search app
Get notifications from your favorite teams and in-depth stats with Google Search
To get started, search “FIFA World Cup” on the Google Search app to find a list of tournament matches for the day. Tap on the bell icon to bring up a list of the 32 participating teams and select your favorite team to receive notifications. If you’re an avid fan, tap on a match to see in depth statistics and even win probabilities of the competing teams. You can even pin the live scores of ongoing matches to your home screen so you do not miss any goals. Simply tap on the match you want to track and drag it anywhere on your home screen.
Pin live scores to your home screen
Relive all the action with recap videos and YouTube
If you’ve missed any of the action live, you can catch up using Search for daily recap videos from FIFA+ and official broadcasters on YouTube. You can even react to your favorite moments from the tournament using the Remix feature in Shorts. Don’t forget to follow #ShortsFIFAWorldCup and use the hashtag to share your content with World Cup fans.
Watch highlights and replays of all the matches on YouTube and FIFA+.
Interact with fans around the world with player ratings
Any players in the tournament caught your eye? You can use Search to learn about their stories and accomplishments. You can also rate players on how you think they will perform and see how other World Cup fans rate them too.
If you want a little more action, join other fans around the world in the Mini Cup game! Once a real-live match is live, pick your team and work together with other fans to score the most virtual goals.
Score virtual goals with other fans for your favorite team
While scoring virtual goals may be fun, nothing beats the atmosphere of a live venue. Search has new labels for businesses to help fans find venues that broadcast the World Cup. Simply search for “Where to watch the world cup near me” to find a spot to meet up with other fans to enjoy the games.
Don’t miss another match with Wear OS Countdown
Never miss another World Cup match if you have a Wear OS watch. You can set match viewing plans on your calendar in the Agenda app. You can also ask Google to set reminders for upcoming matches. Wear OS watches can also channel useful information before matches such as team-lineups and player profiles. If your team scores, you can find a fun little animation to celebrate the goal with you!
Never miss another FIFA World Cup match with Wear OS watches
Google’s year in search has always provided a unique insight into the state of mind of countries and even the world. Topics and trends are indicative of the time and age we live in. In fact, if there was an indicator on the state of mind of the world during the past two years it would have been the searches that were done throughout the period.
Malaysia has had a unique experience during the pandemic having cycled through three governments in the short period and dealing with the yo-yoing policies which followed. However, it seems like politics are no longer top of mind for the nation as the country’s top searches indicate that the people are looking for aid and relief in the wake of the pandemic. The top search for the year – iSinar – was a relief measure by the government to allow people to withdraw monies in their Employee Provident Fund (EFP/KWSP) to be used. Other related searches were i-Citra and Bantuan Prihatin Rakyat – all efforts to provide some monetary relief.
Source: Google
That said, the stresses of the pandemic are still not gone. Malaysia’s year in search also highlighted that Malaysians still show concern surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the concern did not surround information on the virus itself, instead, it would seem to indicate a nation yearning to return to some semblance of normalcy. Google search terms like “COVID Vaccine Near Me” and “CIMS 3.0” are indicative that Malaysians are trying to put the pandemic behind them and return to making ends meet. It would seem like Malaysia is moving towards being – as popular Doctor Youtuber, Dr Mikhail Varshavski, put it – “Alert and not anxious” when it comes to dealing with the pandemic.
The Year in Search was all about the pandemic though. Malaysians were also googling for things like “Popcat” and “Euro 2021”. The PopCat phenomenon is one that provided some much-needed relief from the stresses of working from home and dealing with day to day realities as nations suddenly found themselves uniting to rank top in the leaderboard. Of course, the competition didn’t end there. With many sporting events resuming, we saw Malaysians search, not only for leagues and competitions but also athletes. National athletes took centre stage when the Olympics and other international competitions were underway. Athletes like national shuttles, Lee Zii Jia and Aaron Chia, national track cyclist, Azizulhasni Awang and national gymnast Farah Ann found themselves at the top. International footballer, Christian Eriksen was also among the top athletes searched for.
In addition, the Year of Search on Google also saw Netflix’s popular drama – Squid Game – become one of the most searched terms. The series became an international sensation following its debut and spawned, not only a cult following but also popular social media challenges. Keeping a close second was another K-Drama: True Beauty while Marvel’s The Eternals rounded up the top 3.
All in all, Malaysia’s year in search shows a country that is longing for a return to normalcy. This comes as no surprise as the country has been in prolonged lockdowns and people haven’t seen loved ones in more than 2 years. However, it also highlights the fatigue and burnout of the country when it comes to politics and the pandemic. More importantly, it also shows the many brief but wonderful glimpses of a country that is resilient in searching for a silver lining and in its solidarity.
Google has been working on creating a better, more unified experience with their bread and butter – search. The tech giant is looking for a more contextually relevant search as they move forwards. To do this, they are turning to MUM, the Multitask Unified Model, to bring more relevance to search results.
The new Multitask Unified Model (MUM) allows Google’s search algorithm to understand multiple forms of input. It can draw context from text, speech, images and even video. This, in turn, allows the search engine to return more contextually relevant results. It will also allow the search engine to understand searches in a more natural language and make sense of more complex searches. When they first announced MUM, the new enhancement could understand over 75 languages. MUM is much more powerful than the existing algorithm.
Contextual Search is the New Normal
Barely two months after the announcement, Google has begun implementing MUM into some of the most used apps and features. In the coming months, Google searches will be undergoing a bit of a major rehaul. The company is creating a new, more visual search experience. Users will be seeing more images and graphics in search results. you will also be able to refine and broaden searches with a single click thanks to MUM. You will be able to zoom into finer details such as specific techniques and more or get a broader picture of your search with a single click. In their announcement, Google used the example of acrylic painting. With the results from Google search, they were able to zoom in to specific techniques commonly used in acrylic painting or get a broader picture of how it started.
The search engine uses data such as language and even user behaviour in addition to context to recommend broadening or narrowing searches. They are even applying this to YouTube. They are hoping to be able to expand the search context to include topics mentioned in YouTube videos later this year. Contextual and multitask search is also making its way to Google Lens. Lens will be able to make sense of both visual and text data at the same time. It’s also making its way to Chrome. Don’t expect the rollout of the new experience on Lens too soon as the rollout is expected to be in 2022 after internal testing.
Context is also making search more “shoppable”. Google is allowing users to zoom in to specifics when searching. For instance, searching if you’re searching for fashion apparel, you will be able to narrow your search based on design and colour or use the context of the original to search for something else completely. In addition, Google’s Shopping Graph will allow users to narrow searches with an “in stock” filter as well. This particular enhancement will be available in select countries only.
Expanding Search to Make A Positive Impact
Google isn’t just focusing on MUM for its own benefit. The company has been busy bringing its technology to create change too. It’s working on expanding contextual data as well as A.I. implementation in addressing environmental and social issues. While this is nothing new, some of the new improvements could impact us more directly than ever.
Environmental Insights for Greener Cities
One of the biggest things that could make a huge impact is Googles Environmental Insights. While this isn’t brand new, the company is looking to make the feature more readily available to cities to help them be greener. Environmental Insights Explorer will allow municipalities and city councils to make decisions based on data from A.I. and Google’s Earth Engines.
With this data, cities and municipalities will be able to visualise tree density within their jurisdictions and plan for trees and greenery. This data will help tremendously in lowering the temperatures of cities. It will also help with carbon neutrality. The feature will be expanding to over 100 cities including Yokohama and Sydney this year.
Dealing with Natural Disasters with Actionable Insights
Google Maps will be getting more actionable insights when it comes to natural disasters. Of course, being an American company, their first feature is, naturally more relevant to the U.S. California and other areas have been hit by wildfires with increasing severity in the past years. Other countries such as Australia, Canada and even in parts of the African continent are also experiencing increasingly deadly wildfires. It’s more apparent that data on the wildfires is needed for the public.
As such, Google Maps will be getting a layer that will allow users to see the boundaries of active wildfires. These boundaries are updated every 15 minutes allowing users to avoid affected areas. The data will also help authorities coordinate evacuations and even handling of situations. Google is also doing a pilot for flash flooding in India.
Simplifying Addresses
Google is expanding and simplifying one of its largest social projects – Plus Codes. The project, which was announced just under a year ago, is getting more accessible. Google is making Plus Codes more accessible with Address Maker. The new app continues with Plus Codes but allows users and organisations simplified access to making new addresses. Governments and NGOs will be able to create addresses at scale easier.
Hot on the heels of the iPhone 12 launch, Google has sent out invites for a live stream event on October 15th at 12PM PT/ 3PM ET (3AM GMT+8/MST) called Search On. Google is looking to highlight how the company is applying the power of AI to help the people to understand the world better.
Source: Google
The event was announced through a brief tweet that revealed little about the virtual event. However, given the company’s focus, you can expect that the search giant will be updating the world, particularly developers, of the new features, services, and products from Google. More interestingly, Google is expected to update the world on how it is updating Search.
The event will be one of a series that has taken the place of I/O this year. The Their events have, in the past, had a singular focus – focusing on Assistant, Maps, and so on; so we are expecting that the search giant will be focusing their keynote on the advancements they will be introducing to Search.
