OpenAI plans to announce Google search competitor on Monday

OpenAI is set to unveil a new AI-powered search engine on Monday, aiming to compete with Google's dominance in the search market. This upcoming product is backed by Microsoft and leverages OpenAI's flagship ChatGPT technology to provide web-sourced information with citations. Although the release date could change, the announcement appears strategically timed just before Google's annual I/O conference, where Google is expected to introduce new AI-driven features.

The new search tool extends ChatGPT's capabilities, allowing it to fetch real-time and directly cited information from the internet, addressing previous limitations in accuracy and up-to-dateness. This initiative comes after OpenAI integrated ChatGPT with Microsoft Bing for premium users and follows Google's incorporation of generative AI into its search engine. Despite facing fluctuating web traffic, ChatGPT had previously achieved a record-breaking user engagement, which OpenAI aims to boost with this new offering.

Competing in the AI search domain, startup Perplexity, led by a former OpenAI researcher, has also made significant strides. Valued at $1 billion, Perplexity has developed a user-friendly AI search interface that includes citations and multimedia in its results, attracting over 10 million monthly active users. OpenAI's move to introduce a competitive search product underscores the intensifying rivalry in the AI space and the industry's swift evolution towards more sophisticated and interactive AI solutions.

Reddit locks down its public data in a new content policy says use now requires a contract

Reddit has announced a new "Public Content Policy" following its stock market debut, aimed at protecting user privacy while licensing content to major tech companies. This new policy mandates that any commercial use of Reddit’s data, including AI training, will require a formal agreement. The initiative aligns with Reddit's goals to increase its revenue streams through data licensing, highlighted by the $203 million already earned from such agreements, as mentioned in its IPO prospectus.

Reddit's CEO, Steve Huffman, emphasized the shift in strategy, noting that the platform would no longer provide valuable data to large corporations for free. This change reflects Reddit’s broader effort to control and monetize access to its extensive data pool, previously accessible for various purposes including AI development.

The policy, however, will not affect non-commercial access, which remains open for users, moderators, researchers, and other non-commercial entities. Reddit also plans to continue its efforts to block unauthorized data usage while ensuring that any commercial exploitation of its public content adheres to its newly enforced guidelines. This approach aims to balance commercial interests with user privacy and the integrity of the platform.

Leaked Deck Reveals How OpenAI Is Pitching Publisher Partnerships

OpenAI has been actively engaging with news publishers through its Preferred Publisher Program, an initiative aimed at forming partnerships with select, high-quality media companies. Since July 2023, OpenAI has secured deals with several major publishers like the Associated Press and Axel Springer, providing them with benefits such as priority placement in chat responses and richer brand expression. This program not only offers financial incentives based on engagement metrics but also enables OpenAI to utilize the publishers' content for training its AI models.

However, the accuracy and details of these partnerships have come under scrutiny after a leaked pitch deck was reported by ADWEEK. OpenAI contends that the deck contains outdated and misrepresented information, emphasizing that the company customizes its deals with each publisher and that the leaked information was intended for private negotiation discussions. The program reportedly focuses more on accessing current content rather than using historical data, which OpenAI has likely already trained on.

The relationship between OpenAI and digital publishers is complex, highlighted by the legal uncertainties surrounding the data-scraping methods used to train AI models. While some publishers have embraced partnerships with OpenAI, others have pursued legal action, alleging unauthorized use of copyrighted content. Despite these challenges, OpenAI continues to advocate for its partnership program, aiming to enhance user experiences and increase publisher visibility and engagement within its AI products.

Google’s Sundar Pichai Lays Out His AI Roadmap

Alphabet Inc. CEO Sundar Pichai discussed the company's approach to artificial intelligence in an interview on "The Circuit with Emily Chang," reflecting on Google's efforts to catch up in the AI field despite initial setbacks. Pichai expressed confidence in the long-term strategy, drawing parallels to Google's late starts in other areas like search, email, and browsers. He revealed plans for revamping their AI systems, following issues with their Gemini image generator which produced culturally insensitive images, prompting a complete retraining of the models.

In the face of growing competition and a landmark antitrust lawsuit, Pichai highlighted Google's ongoing innovation in search technologies. He anticipates a shift from traditional search results to more conversational AI-driven formats, blending narrative answers with links for deeper exploration. This evolution aims to enhance user experience and maintain Google’s dominance in search, which is crucial given its significant contribution to Alphabet’s revenue through advertising.

Pichai also touched on the challenges of navigating an AI-saturated future, stressing the importance of discerning real from synthetic content. He shared insights into research using AI-generated data for breakthroughs, exemplified by AlphaGo. Despite internal criticism regarding his cautious leadership style, Pichai remains focused on steering Google through strategic challenges, emphasizing a disciplined approach to innovation and the vast potential of AI to reshape technology and business landscapes.

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• Reddit locks down its public data in a new content policy says use now requires a contract

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