For years, traditional search engines like Google (GOOGL) have guided Internet users in their search for information, handling billions of queries annually. Now, AI products like OpenAI's SearchGPT and Perplexity AI's Pro Search are looking to change the game. Using AI models to mine the web for information, these new types of search engines offer summarized answers instead of lists of links—a method that, in theory, could make information retrieval faster and easier.
Traditional keyword-based search has an important limitation: users must know how to phrase their queries to get accurate results. AI-powered search aims to eliminate this barrier by enabling natural dialogue. Users can ask follow-up questions and get real-time answers that feel like a conversation.
“While traditional search is great for simple tasks like finding store hours, AI-powered systems are stepping in to tackle complex queries,” Christian Ward, chief data officer at digital presence agency Yext, told the Observer. “This change will be especially beneficial for users who have trouble constructing the correct search syntax or face language barriers.”
OpenAI's SearchGPT and Perplexity's Pro Search are also designed to address an emerging frustration: out-of-date AI chat responses. By accessing real-time web sources, SearchGPT provides the latest information from sports scores to breaking news. OpenAI has plans to advance the product to integrate shopping features, travel planning and voice commands for intuitive web search experiences.
Perplexity's Pro Search goes even deeper, with an advanced model that can handle complex follow-up queries with a multi-step logic structure. Designed for everything from legal research to coding help, Pro Search goes beyond Perplexity's basic chat-style platform to provide more subtle answers.
Outside of the AI startup world, Meta (META) Platforms is also entering the search space, with plans to launch its own AI search engine. With its large user base and rich data from Facebook and Instagram, Meta is uniquely positioned to build and refine its search product. AI search feature could soon come to WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook.
But will users accept this change? “We'll see AI-driven search become the first stop for many users—it's fast, context-aware, and designed to provide quick, concise answers,” said Paul Butterworth, founder and CTO of Vantiq, an AI-powered software. development platform, he told the Observer. However, when users find an AI response lacking in depth or detail, they may revert to traditional search, browsing links for detailed or more detailed information.”
The push into AI search isn't just about improving the user experience; and you must keep users engaged and engaged within the company's product ecosystem. OpenAI and Perplexity, for example, are partnering with major news and data providers to give users access to verified sources while helping publishers expand their reach. Meta's move has similar strategies, following its recent partnership with Reuters, which will enable it to pull real-time content from the media giant and provide users with information about current events.
Google, facing these challenges, is also improving AI search by introducing the AI Overview this year. The company says the move is in line with its ad-driven revenue model. Google said in its latest earnings report that ads in AI Overviews helped users connect quickly with relevant businesses, making the ad process more targeted and efficient.
Experts say the economics of AI search could eventually force companies to rely entirely on ad revenue to make the technology profitable. An AI search query costs about 10 times more than a typical Google or Bing query, according to Reuters report. “To fix this, companies will either need to charge consumers directly or rely heavily on advertisements,” Ram Palaniappan, CTO of TEKsystems Global, a technology consultancy, told the Observer. “If they're offering it for free, they may prioritize certain content with ads, which can compromise quality by limiting your options for the best source of relevant feedback.”
