Google scrambles for new search engine as AI creeps in: report

Google is reportedly rushing to update its search engine and create a completely new one in the face of threat from competitors using artificial intelligence on their platforms.

Employees at the tech giant were reportedly surprised last month and "panic" spread when they discovered that Samsung was considering whether to replace Google as the default option on its devices in favor of Microsoft’s Bing, according to the New York Times.

Bing has long been a search engine competitor to Google but has often taken a back seat as users flocked to the well-known Google platform. Bing is now becoming more of a challenge to Google after it added artificial intelligence, according to the outlet.

Google is working on a plan to incorporate AI features into its existing search engine while simultaneously building a completely new one, according to the Times, which reviewed internal documents on the plan.

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The new search engine falls under a project known as "Magi," which is being created by a bevy of employees, including engineers and executives. This search engine is aimed to be more personalized than the current engine, with the platform attempting to anticipate users’ requests, according to the outlet.

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"We’ve been bringing AI to Google Search for years to not only dramatically improve the quality of our results but also introduce entirely new ways to search, such as Lens and multi-search," Google spokesperson Lara Levin told Fox News Digital on Sunday.

"We’ve done so in a responsible and helpful way that maintains the high bar we set for delivering quality information. Not every brainstorm deck or product idea leads to a launch, but as we’ve said before, we’re excited about bringing new AI-powered features to ‘Search’ and will share more details soon," Levin continued. 

Prominent AI lab OpenAI released ChatGPT late last year, causing the tech community to up the ante in its race to create the most powerful AI technology – and Google was no different, according to the Times. OpenAI works with Microsoft, and about two weeks after ChatGPT’s release, Google reportedly assembled a task force within its search division to build AI products, according to the New York Times, citing two people with knowledge of the matter.

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Google has been working on AI features since last year and released its own chatbot called "Bard" to a limited audience in March, but it did not receive the same widespread acclaim as ChatGPT. OpenAI's chatbot broke records as the fastest-growing user base with 100 million monthly active users in January. 

Controversy over AI technology gained international attention in March when thousands of tech experts, leaders and others signed an open letter calling for a six-month pause on creating powerful AI systems. Tesla and Twitter chief Elon Musk and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak were among the prominent signatories who warned that "human-competitive intelligence can pose profound risks to society and humanity."

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Musk has since started a new AI company, called X.AI, according to business filings in Nevada.

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The company will allegedly compete with OpenAI’s ChatGPT.