ChatGPT needs to know that there is a new artificial intelligence (AI) toy in town. Google is about to start a fight with their AI called Sparrow.
Lately, we all have been fangirling over ChatGPT3, a new AI assistant that has been brought into the world by OpenAI. For those who don’t know it, it is an AI tool that is a great alternative to Google Search. It offers direct answers to questions input by users, rather than users having to search through a bunch of links to find the information they need. It also does a range of other things, like design marketing plans, write blogs, and so forth.
The internet, already crushing on ChatGPT3, then heard a rumour that ChatGPT4 was coming. So what is ChatGPT4? It’s a more evolved version of ChatGPT3. ChatGPT fans were frothing at the mouth in anticipation of ChatGPT4 coming on stream sometime in the near future. Suffice to say that ChatGPT is so popular that often users can’t get on the site due to high demand.
How ChatGPT affects Google
Microsoft are now in the thick of buying ChatGPT, so they can add it to programs such as Word and Outlook. This means that AI can potentially write our letters and emails for us.
Many people have called ChatGPT the “Google Killer” which should have Google in a panic. Google aren’t as forthcoming with information as we would like, but it seems that Google are starting to gear up for a tech battle.
Google company DeepMind seems to be bringing out a competitor to ChatGPT called Sparrow, according to their website.
They imply that they are training their AI to communicate in a way that is not going to trigger everyone. Good luck with that! Here is the long and boring Whitepaper.
DeepMind say, “In recent years, large language models (LLMs) have achieved success at a range of tasks such as question answering, summarisation, and dialogue. Dialogue is a particularly interesting task because it features flexible and interactive communication. However, dialogue agents powered by LLMs can express inaccurate or invented information, use discriminatory language, or encourage unsafe behaviour.”
DeepMind and human feedback
DeepMind claim that their AI is currently getting a whole pile of human feedback, so when it says bad things, it can learn from its breaches. “Our agent is designed to talk with a user, answer questions, and search the internet using Google when it’s helpful to look up evidence to inform its responses.”
Here is how they picture it going.
DeepMind claim that not only will Sparrow provide answers, just like ChatGPT, but it will also back those answers with proof, or it will provide links via Google search so human can decide for themselves if the answers are plausible.
It sounds like they are alluding to the fact that sometimes ChatGPT gives wrong, or delusional answers, and doesn’t verify its answers with links. Or is it that Sparrow just wants to keep everyone in Google’s lanes which makes them billions of dollars every year?
Is Google panicking about ChatGPT?
Perhaps Sparrow will be brought to market way sooner than was planned. There is no denying that ChatGPT is a compelling competitor to Google Search.
Sparrow could be Google’s solution to what is known as the innovator’s dilemma. This is where big market leaders crumble in the face of sudden disruptive innovation, like Google might in a fight with ChatGPT.
There’s no denying that OpenAI and their ChatGPT product is a direct assault on Google’s core business model. But war has long been known as a driver of innovation and this could be a win for the users of these technologies as these tech giant battle to win the hearts and keyboards of the masses.
As for the search engine advantage connection that Sparrow has, it might not be a competitive edge for long. ChatGPT3 is being taken over by Microsoft, so the presumption is that it will be integrated with Bing, Microsoft’s (poorly performing) search engine. It feels like war on Planet Big Tech is coming thick and fast, and it will be interesting to watch.
Google’s other dilemmas
Google is also facing another dilemma, and this would explain why they have not been fast to bring an AI chatbot to the market. That is, some of their own new technologies can directly disrupt their existing products. They would have to work out a way that the new AI can monetise search as well as their existing model does. But now, it seems like Microsoft are forcing their hand.
Google also might be at risk from smaller, more nimble companies entering the market that can act faster than a behemoth tech giant.
We, the masses are waiting to see how Sparrow will burst onto the scene. If it is as useful as ChatGPT, then it looks like a tech Battle Royale is on the horizon.
