Google scrambles to update Search as Samsung threatens switch to Microsoft's Bing

(Image: Moneycontrol)

Google is reportedly rushing to add artificial intelligence (AI) features to its internet search engine after Samsung told the tech giant it could switch to Bing as the default engine on its devices.

The New York Times reported that the internet search and technology giant is in the process of creating an AI-powered search engine to take on the likes of Microsoft's Bing AI, which is based on OpenAI's GPT-4 technology.

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The company is apparently in the early stages of the project codenamed "Magi" and it would offer a "far more personalized experience than the company’s current service", with more than 160 designers and engineers working full-time on the project.

Magi would reportedly "answer questions about software coding and write code based on a user’s request”. According to the report, Google is aiming for a May 2023 release for Magi and employees have already begun testing the ChatGPT-like conversational bot.

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The launch will be limited to the United States at first, and with a limit of one million users, which will increase to 30 million by the end of the year, the report said.

The service will also be able to learn users' preferences based on what they are searching for and would integrate ads into the system responses, similar to Microsoft's Bing AI bot.