Google LLC is entering a race against time as it attempts to introduce new and improved artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities to its search engine in order to counteract the competition it is about to encounter. This potential competition comes in the form of a suggestion by South Korean electronics giant Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. to drop their support of Google’s search engine and shift to Microsoft Bing as its new default search technology. This possibility alone could cost Google upwards of $3 billion a year, which is why the company is launching the all-new search engine update “Magi”, which works to bring AI-powered features to the search engine.
Leading this undertaking is Google’s Project Magi, a 160-employee strong effort based in “sprint rooms” that are working day and night to upgrade the existing technologies of Google’s search with AI capabilities. Google was spurred into this initiative December of last year when OpenAI LP’s release of the ChatGPT made it evident that Google’s decades-long dominance in the search industry could soon be challenged. With the announcement from Microsoft Corp. in February that ChatGPT would be integrated into Bing, the pressure was on for Google to act fast.
“Magi” will bring an array of features to enhance users search experience in an AI-driven way. One of the features being worked on is the “Searchalong” Chrome feature, which will offer contextual information from the page being viewed to suggest points of interest in the area, like on Airbnb. There are two chatbots being developed as well, the first of which is said to provide assistance to software engineering inquiries, the second to guide users through their music searches. Other additions in testing include the “GIFI” and “Tivoli Tutor” offerings, which will help users create images and converse in new languages.
Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, has promised to deliver these new and AI-driven features to consumers soon but there is currently no specific timeline as to when they will become available. Google’s initial intention is to launch a pilot group of one million users and grow from there, the project having an exclusive US user base for the time being. However, it is speculated that given the I/O 2023 event that is supposed to take place next month, more information about project “Magi” will be released.
Google looks to use their release of “Magi” as a way to stay atop of the search engine market, primarily in the face of Microsoft’s release similar features for their Bing engine. It is unclear if Google’s features will succeed in providing users with a more personalized search experience and outdoing the competition, but one thing is certain: Google is doing its best to stay ahead of the curve and make sure it dominates search engine technology.
