To most users, whatever work has been done under the hood won’t matter so much as the ability to search up-to-date information.



Last month, OpenAI began rolling out its “Google-Killer search engine.” Now, users can take advantage of ChatGPT’s chatbot interface to search news and other current information, as well as historical data.

This isn’t the first time AI has been applied to searches of current information. In May 2024, for example, Google began adding AI-generated summaries to its search results, sparing users the need to click deeper when researching a subject.

While Google and OpenAI tend to get most of the attention, today a variety of AI-based search engines are available, including Perplexity AI, Microsoft Bing and you.com. Besides handling ad hoc searches, many of these support specific use cases, such as identifying keywords for SEO optimization or improving the tone of a user’s writing.

In the 25 years since Google launched, people have gotten used to the idea of easily searching deep sets of information. So, the limited nature of OpenAI’s search universe always felt artificial. To the great majority of users, some argue, whatever work the company’s done under the hood won’t matter so much as the ability to search an up-to-date set of information.

The wider search through ChatGPT’s chatbot interface is sure to add momentum to the use of chatbots in general. Already, their growth has proved dynamic: Since 2019, the use of chatbots increased 92%. In the realm of customer service, the number of chats per agent rose 23% year-on-year in 2023 alone.

In many ways, this strength is due to the simplicity of interacting with chatbots. With their conversational approach, chatbots are easy to use, respond quickly to queries and provide personalized information. Because most chatbots approach conversations in similar, if not identical, ways users don’t need to learn a variety of interfaces and the unique commands of each one.

At the same time, however, the conversational interface is more than a mere way station on the way to more powerful interaction. Already, there’s talk of “aiOS,” or an AI operating system, that makes its capabilities available through a combination of conversational interface, autonomous agents, adaptive learning (to better understand user preferences) and improved management of computing resources.

Such interfaces do more than simply find information. They tailor themselves to each user in ways that make searches more productive, as well as simpler to conduct.

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