OpenAI plans to announce Google search competitor on Monday, sources say

May, 10 2024

(Reuters) OpenAI plans to announce its artificial intelligence-powered search product on Monday, according to two sources familiar with the matter, raising the stakes in its competition with search king Google.

The announcement date, though subject to change, has not been previously reported. Bloomberg and the Information have reported that Microsoft-backed OpenAI is working on a search product to potentially compete with Alphabet's Google and with Perplexity, a well-funded AI search startup.

OpenAI declined to comment.

The announcement could be timed a day before the Tuesday start of Google’s annual I/O conference, where the tech giant is expected to unveil a slew of AI-related products.

OpenAI’s search product is an extension of its flagship ChatGPT product, and enables ChatGPT to pull in direct information from the Web and include citations, according to Bloomberg. ChatGPT is OpenAI’s chatbot product that uses the company’s cutting-edge AI models to generate human-like responses to text prompts.

Industry observers have long called ChatGPT an alternative for gathering online information, though it has struggled with providing accurate and real-time information from the Web. OpenAI earlier gave it an integration with Microsoft’s Bing for paid subscribers.

Apple renews talks with OpenAI for iPhone generative AI features

Apple Inc has renewed discussions with OpenAI about using the startup’s generative AI technology to power some new features being introduced in the iPhone later this year, Bloomberg News reported.

The companies have begun discussing terms of a potential agreement and how OpenAI features would be integrated into Apple’s next iPhone operating system, iOS 18, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter.

Apple and OpenAI did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.

Bloomberg reported last month that Apple was in talks to license Google’s Gemini chatbot for new iPhone features.

Apple has not made a final decision on which partners it will use, and could reach an agreement with both OpenAI and Alphabet Inc’s Google or pick another provider entirely, the Bloomberg report said.

Apple has been slower in rolling out generative AI, which can generate human-like responses to written prompts, than rivals such as Microsoft and Google, which are weaving them into products.

Apple CEO Tim Cook said in February that the company was investing "significantly" in generative AI and would reveal more about its plans to put the technology to use later this year.