Google CEO says search will feature chat AI: report

Google CEO Sundar Pichai said the company plans to add an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot to its search engine as an increasing number of technology companies explore the use of AI in their services. 

Pichai told The Wall Street Journal in an interview that Google will add conversational AI features, which he said would help Google answer a wider range of search inquiries. 

The Journal reported that Google has been developing computer programs called large language models (LLMs) that can understand and respond to prompts almost as a human would. Pichai said he wants to use LLMs to help improve how users search on Google’s browser. 

“Will people be able to ask questions to Google and engage with LLMs in the context of search? Absolutely,” he said. 

Pichai’s remarks come as major technology companies have launched AI chatbots. 

OpenAI has launched ChatGPT and its updated version, GPT-4, while Google created Bard as a competitor. Microsoft announced one day after Google unveiled Bard in February that it will include AI features in its search engine. 

The rapid development of AI technology has raised concerns inside and outside the industry. Elon Musk and a number of other technology experts called for a six-month pause on the development of advanced AI systems last month, arguing that it could bring “risks to society.” 

They said more powerful AI systems than GPT-4 should only be created once society can know they will create positive effects and manageable risks. 

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have also expressed concern over the potential impact of AI; however, there has been little agreement so far on how Congress should respond to the threat.

“As one of just three members of Congress with a computer science degree, I am enthralled by A.I. and excited about the incredible ways it will continue to advance society,” Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) wrote in an op-ed for The New York Times earlier this year. “And as a member of Congress, I am freaked out by A.I., specifically A.I. that is left unchecked and unregulated.”

Pichai told the Journal that he is not worried that chatbots could threaten Google’s search business, saying that the “opportunity space” is larger than it was before. 

The Journal reported that Google has also started experimenting with new AI features in Gmail and other products. 

“It has been incredible to see user excitement around adoption of these technologies, and some of that is a pleasant surprise as well,” Pichai said. 

He said Google needs to work to adapt its resources to continue to develop AI and manage its costs. He said the company’s two main AI units, Google Brain and DeepMind, will start collaborating more closely to create large algorithms for the AI technology. 

“I expect a lot more, stronger collaboration, because some of these efforts will be more compute-intensive, so it makes sense to do it at a certain scale together,” Pichai said.

The Hill has reached out to Google about its plans.