Google just gave its AI access to Search, hours before OpenAI launched ChatGPT Search

Google launched real-time search capabilities for its Gemini AI platform on Thursday, giving its language models access to up-to-date information from Google Search. The new feature, called “Grounding with Google Search”, focuses on developers building AI applications and differentiates them from OpenAI’s consumer-facing applications ChatGPT Search service was launched the same day.

“We’re focused on putting search-related answers into developer workflows,” said Logan Kilpatrick, product leader at Google, in an exclusive interview with VentureBeat. “We’re taking advantage of what Google does uniquely well: making information around the world accessible through search.”

Say hello to Grounding with Google Search, available in the Gemini API + Google AI Studio!

When you build with Gemini, you can now access real-time, new, and current information from Google Search by enabling the Grounding tool.https://t.co/oGVTOKHfM8

— Logan Kilpatrick (@OfficialLoganK) October 31, 2024

The system allows developers to supplement their AI applications with new search data, complete with citations and sources. The service costs $35 per 1,000 searcheswhich reflects the substantial computational requirements for real-time AI search.

The technology uses a “dynamic retrieval” system that automatically determines when to use the search results. Each search query is given a score between 0 and 1: questions about current events score high (0.97), while creative writing tasks score low (0.13). This helps manage both costs and response times, while maintaining accuracy.

A look inside the $49 billion battle for the future of search

Google’s move to integrate search with its AI platform comes at a crucial time. The company earned $49.4 billion from search advertising in Q3 2024but is facing increasing pressure from AI-powered alternatives. Running these systems requires enormous computing resources; OpenAI expects to spend money on that $5 billion in computer costs this year alone.

The integration also raises questions about publisher compensation. Both Google and OpenAI have signed licensing deals with major news organizations, although the financial terms remain private. Various publishers, including The New York Timeshave filed lawsuits over AI systems using their content without permission.

Why OpenAI’s new ChatGPT Search could change the way we find information online

Hours after Google’s announcement, OpenAI has launched ChatGPT Searchtaking a different approach by targeting consumers directly. While Google focuses on providing developers with tools to build search-supported AI applications, OpenAI’s service gives end users a way to access up-to-date information about news, sports, stocks and weather through a conversational interface – specifically without ads.

“The journey we’re on is using Google Search in more creative ways, across multiple surfaces,” said Shrestha Basu Mallick, Google’s group product manager for the Gemini API, in an interview with VentureBeat. “You get it through AI Studio, the Gemini APIs, and it can eventually become native to the model itself.”

This new phase of competition could change the way people find information online. Instead of scrolling through pages of results, users are increasingly relying on AI systems to synthesize answers from multiple sources. However, questions remain about accuracy, publisher compensation, and whether companies can build sustainable business models around these computer-intensive services.

The simultaneous launches suggest that AI-powered search could become a three-way race between Google, Microsoft (via its OpenAI partnership) and OpenAI itself.

Google retains advantages in search infrastructure and ad revenue, while OpenAI has shown proficiency in creating compelling AI products for consumers. Microsoft, meanwhile, is benefiting from both through its multi-billion dollar OpenAI investment.