"Google" responds to the challenge of "Microsoft" ... With more artificial intelligence
Alphabet's Google will introduce more artificial intelligence into its core search product, hoping to excite users as Microsoft's update to rival search engine Bing has done over the past few months.
At its annual conference in Mountain View, California, on Wednesday, Google showcased a new version of its engine of the same name. The developed engine, called the Generative Search Experience, can formulate responses to open-ended questions while maintaining the usual list of links that appear when searching.
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said after taking the stage at the conference, "We're reimagining all our core products, like research."
He added that Google is integrating generative artificial intelligence into search as well as products such as Gmail, where it can create draft messages, and Google Images, where it can make changes to images such as coloring in empty parts.
Alphabet shares rose four percent on Wednesday.
The company's vice president, Kathy Edwards, said in an interview that U.S. users will be able to access the generative search experience in the coming weeks through a waiting list, in a beta phase during which Google will monitor the quality, speed and cost of search results.
Google's invasion of so-called generative artificial intelligence comes after OpenAI introduced a startup Chat GPT, a beloved chatbot that launched a frantic race for finance among potential competitors. Generative AI is able to create entirely new content such as full text and images, using previous data.
OpenAI, backed by billions of dollars from Microsoft and now integrated into the Bing search engine, has become the main choice of generative AI for many users, helping them prepare contracts, travel plans and even write complete narratives.
Google also released a new foldable Pixel series smartphone that allows customers to use the company's artificial intelligence. The phone will initially be priced at $1799 and comes with a free pixel clock. The company also unveiled a $499 phone called the Pixel 7A, which became available for ordering as of Wednesday.