The race for AI is reshuffling the cards in the Internet search sector. And Google is clearly under threat, having entered into agreements with hardware manufacturers to install its search engine by default on a multitude of devices. Multi-million dollar deals are at stake. And Samsung now has leverage to renegotiate.
If you’ve ever owned a Samsung smartphone, you know that Google is the default search engine on Samsung devices. But that could be about to change. Samsung plans to replace Google with Microsoft Bing as the default search engine on its mobile devices, according to the New York Times. Why?
Because Microsoft Bing, which has always been the underdog of search engines, has gained popularity recently thanks to the implementation of generative AI in the new Bing.
The new search features are developed under the project name Magi
The threat of Bing taking over from Google on Samsung smartphones has caused “panic” at Google, according to posts reviewed by The New York Times. The contract between Google and Samsung represents an annual turnover of approximately 3 billion dollars. The company still has a chance to maintain its presence on Samsung smartphones, but it needs to act quickly.
Not to be left behind by AI-powered rivals such as Bing, The New York Times says Google is in the race to build a new AI-powered search engine and integrate AI functions in its current search engine.
The new search features are developed under the Magi project name and are intended to optimize and personalize the user experience. According to New York Times sources, more than 160 people are currently working full-time on these features.
A project that should see the light of day before the end of the year
These features are expected to be available exclusively in the United States at first and will initially roll out to 1 million users and then 30 million by the end of the year, according to the article.
The new AI-powered search engine, a longer-term project, would use a person’s browsing habits to give them personalized recommendations, including shopping and information, for conversational purposes .
By rushing to jump on the bandwagon, Google risks making the same mistakes it made with its own chatbot, Google Bard. Google launched Bard last month. The chatbot, however, had a difficult start and a lackluster exit, by the admission of Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google.
Source: “ZDNet.com”