There is panic in Googleplex as South Korean consumer electronics giant Samsung is said to be considering replacing Google with Microsoft’s Bing as the default search engine on its devices.
It is estimated that Samsung accounts for $3 billion in annual revenue for Google and this will be at stake if Samsung goes along with its threat. An additional $20 billion is tied to a similar Apple contract that will be up for renewal this year.
For many years, Bing has been a distant competitor in the search industry. However, this is changing with the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Microsoft is said to be working with OpenAI to incorporate its ChatGPT software into the Bing search engine.
This is what is luring Samsung to Bing and scaring Google.
In response, Google is doubling up to build an all-new search engine powered by the AI technology. According to internal documents reviewed by The NYTimes, it is also upgrading the existing one with A.I. features.
The report adds that “the new features, under the project name Magi, are being created by designers, engineers and executives working in so-called sprint rooms to tweak and test the latest versions. The new search engine would offer users a far more personalized experience than the company’s current service, attempting to anticipate users’ needs.”
Google has intentions to revolutionize the search experience with this new search engine, but the plans are still in their early stages, and there is no definite timeline for the release of this new search technology.
The proposed system would be designed to learn from user search queries and provide preselected options for purchasing items, researching information, and other forms of data. The new search engine would also be more conversational and akin to chatting with a helpful person.
According to internal documents, the Magi project will first focus on enhancing the current search engine before embarking on a complete overhaul. A source familiar with the project indicated that over 160 full-time employees are working on it at Google.
Google recently invited a select group of employees to test Magi’s features, and has encouraged them to ask follow-up questions to evaluate the search engine’s conversational capabilities. As per the planning document, the tools are expected to be made available to the public in May, with additional features being added in the fall.
Initially, Google intends to make the features accessible to a maximum of one million people, with the number gradually increasing to 30 million by the year-end. These features will be exclusively available in the United States.
Samsung and Microsoft have not made any official statement.
