Google Project 'Magi': Search to get an AI makeover to take on Bing chatbot

Google has been in the eye of the storm since OpenAI rolled out ChatGPT to the public in November 2022. Since then the company has opted for the narrative claiming they don't want to be the first because they want to do it right. However, that option may be out of the window. A new report suggests that the Mountain View company has been forced to work on an AI-powered Google Search. The company's flagship product and primary revenue generator is the search engine. Microsoft's Bing has been tailing Google with its new features based on OpenAI's GPT-4. Google is still way ahead in terms of search volume but Bing's AI chatbot is forcing it to adapt. And adapt quickly.

According to a report by The New York Times, Google is working on a new project codenamed 'Magi'. This project is essentially Google Search but with the powers of AI. The features will be added to the experience of web search. Designers, engineers, and executives are trying to work on the technology in 'sprint rooms' where they are tweaking and testing the latest technology.

What's new with 'Magi'?

Google's new AI-powered search is expected to provide a more personalised search output and it will even try to anticipate the requirements of the user even before they type it in. The report suggests that Google is also working on a brand-new search engine that will have even more embedded AI features.

Google spokesperson Lara Levin said, “not every brainstorm deck or product idea leads to a launch, but as we’ve said before, we’re excited about bringing new A.I.-powered features to search, and will share more details soon.”

Also read: OpenAI ChatGPT VS Google Bard: Which AI chatbot is the real disruptor?

Why the rush?

ChatGPT was rolled out in November 2022 but the real blow came when folks at Google came to know that smartphone maker Samsung was considering replacing Google search as the default search engine with Microsoft Bing. This would mean a direct $3 billion hit on Google's revenue. It could be even worse if Apple decided to move away from Google, which could yield a blow of $20 billion in revenue. The report suggested that this revelation caused "panic" in Google.

Also read: Why Google India is one of the best companies to work for in the country

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