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OpenAI reportedly has Google in its sights with a new online search product

Sam Altman
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Kent Nishimura
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OpenAI is taking aim at Google's search dominance, according to a new report.

The ChatGPT maker is developing its own web search product, The Information reported, citing unnamed sources.

The new product may be partly powered by Microsoft's search engine Bing, per the report. Microsoft is the biggest investor in OpenAI, pumping in billions.

The Information report said it's unclear if OpenAI's search product would be separate from ChatGPT, its AI chatbot.

OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, made outside normal working hours.

The development puts OpenAI into more direct competition with Google Search and follows Microsoft's attempt to boost its Bing search engine with the AI company's tech.

Shares in Alphabet, Google's owner, dipped about 1.5% in premarket trading on Thursday.

Microsoft was quick to integrate OpenAI's technology into Bing after the popularity of ChatGPT, offering users a more interactive way of searching the web that included a chatbot service. Google also announced a competing AI-boosted search engine in the following months.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was bullish about Bing's AI potential last year. Following the launch, he called Google the 800-pound gorilla in search and said he wanted everyone to know Microsoft had made its arch rival "dance."

However, Microsoft's early versions of its AI Bing chat suffered some unexpected issues. Users complained the chatbot was engaging in "unhinged" conversations, prompting the company to limit the length of chats in response.

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Beatrice Nolan was a tech reporter on the business news team in the UK. She joined Insider in January 2022 as a fellow on Business Insider's careers desk. Beatrice covered tech and the future of work, with a focus on artificial intelligence. Some of her stories and early experiments with ChatGPT are widely cited. Beatrice has also discussed her work covering AI trends on panels and radio shows, including NPR.She was based in Business Insider's London office and graduated from the University of  York with a bachelor's degree in English.Featured Articles:Artists say AI image generators are copying their style to make thousands of new images — and it's completely out of their control.ChatGPT was a black swan eventFinland is the world's happiest country, but Finns say we're confusing happiness for something elseThe world is splitting between those who use ChatGPT to get better, smarter, richer — and everyone elseThis man used AI to write and illustrate a children's book in one weekend. He wasn't prepared for the backlash.ChatGPT has only been around for 2 months and is causing untold chaosTwo professors who say they caught students cheating on essays with ChatGPT explain why AI plagiarism can be hard to proveChatGPT wrote college application essays. Admissions professionals said they passed for essays written by students but wouldn't have a chance at any top colleges.College professors are considering creative ways to stop students from using AI to cheatChatGPT wrote my cover letters. Here's how recruiters responded.