OpenAI has hired ex-Chrome developers to build a new browser that rivals Google. According to a recent scoop by The Information, OpenAI will also develop another search product called NLWeb that enables users to interact with partner websites conversationally.
OpenAI is looking to take a share of Google’s dominance as the number one search engine on the entire planet. The ChatGPT inventor is planning to achieve that by building a web browser that integrates with its AI chatbot.
OpenAI has hired two developers who were key people in building the Google Chrome browser. The two developers joined OpenAI earlier this year.
OpenAI has been pitching its NLWeb (Natural Language Web) search product to companies like Condé Nast, Redfin, and Priceline. Through partnerships with websites and app developers, OpenAI will provide conversational search features for several industries like food, retail, real estate, and travel. People who have seen recent prototypes of the search product told The Information.
OpenAI is eyeing Google’s share with Samsung devices
The AI company has been in discussions with Samsung about powering their devices with artificial intelligence features. This business move is similar to OpenAI’s partnership with Apple, which resulted in the integration of ChatGPT into iOS, iPadOS, and macOS devices, giving birth to Apple Intelligence.
Samsung is in fierce competition with Apple. Galaxy AI, which provides AI features to Samsung users, relies on Google’s generative AI technologies like Gemini Pro and Imagen 2. Integrating ChatGPT with Galaxy AI will provide users with a better experience compared to Gemini, which has been criticized for its poor performance. Recently, Google’s Gemini went off the rails and told a user to die.
The DOJ seeks to end Google’s search engine monopoly
The US Department of Justice filed a 23-page document with a judge last Wednesday. In the document, the US regulators want Google to sell its browser Chrome, and its operating system Android. Additionally, the DOJ wants to restrict Chrome from being the default browser on any device and prevent Google from making agreements with any company that controls how users search for information.
The document states that Google has unlawfully maintained a monopoly in the search engine space and search text advertisements.
According to StatCounter, 66.68% of global internet users rely on Google Chrome as their main browser. In the US, 57.45% of users prefer Chrome, more than half of all users. Other browsers, including Safari, Edge, and Firefox, trail with 29.27%, 6.55%, and 3.45%, respectively.
The DOJ said, “The playing field is not level because of Google’s conduct, and Google’s quality reflects the ill-gotten gains of an advantage illegally acquired. The remedy must close this gap and deprive Google of these advantages.”
Google criticized the DOJ’s proposal, calling it a staggering move that would hurt consumers and the United States’ global technological leadership. In a blog post, Google’s chief legal officer said that “The DOJ chose to push a radical interventionist agenda…It would break a range of Google products — even beyond Search — that people love and find helpful…”
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