Meta is developing an AI search engine to replace Google and Microsoft in Meta AI. The search engine would give Meta AI chatbot answers without the need for an external source.
The Information reports “Meta hopes to lower its reliance on Google Search and Microsoft’s Bing, which currently provide information about news, sports and stocks to people using Meta AI, according to a person who has spoken with the search engine team.”
This news comes off the back of Meta AI’s new partnership with Reuters which allows users to get answers about news and current events from the latest Reuters reporting without leaving Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp.
Meta wants Meta AI to be self-sufficient, without the need to rely on other technologies to provide the best user experience possible. The development of an AI-powered search engine would be a huge step in this direction.
The Information states Meta’s spokesperson declined to comment, but considering Meta AI has more than 185 million weekly users, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Meta double down on its own technology to keep all that search traffic in-house.
An AI search revolution
AI search engines are growing in popularity with options such as Perplexity and Arc Search proving to be incredibly useful tools for searching the web. AI search engines differ from a regular Google search by compiling summaries based on search results and providing the end-user with links to original sources to further their research should they require.
If Meta does develop an AI search engine, we could see a genuine rival to Google’s own search as large companies start to move into the AI search engine space. OpenAI’s SearchGPT is rumored to launch before the end of the year, and now we’re wondering if we could see Meta’s alternative before 2025 too?