Until not long ago, searching for something on the internet was a fairly linear process. We opened a search engine, typed a phrase, et voilà: an endless list of links which, with a bit of luck, contained what we were looking for. Now all of this is changing. Search engines are becoming not only smarter, but also incredibly “human” thanks to artificial intelligence. Let’s see together, in this article from the dotenv blog, how the frontier of information search is evolving, with a round-up of innovative tools and technologies.
SearchGPT: when AI meets online search
SearchGPT is a real revolution in the world of search engines. Presented by OpenAI on 31 October 2024, it was designed to do something that Google and the like have never done really well: understand our questions the way a person would and give us back a clear, precise and complete answer.
Let’s imagine asking a search engine: “Which are the best restaurants for eating fish in Naples if I want to spend less than 30 euros?” With a traditional engine, we would probably get a long list of links to blogs, reviews and TripAdvisor. With SearchGPT, instead, we receive an answer along these lines:
“Here are three excellent, inexpensive fish restaurants in Naples: Terra mia (menus from €25), Maradona è meglio di Pelè (lunch offer at €28) and Da Peppino (all you can eat at €29).”
Leaving aside the poetic licence of a true-born Neapolitan in the made-up restaurant names, isn’t that fantastic? It saves us from clicking here and there, saving us time and effort. This is possible thanks to the GPT language model, which is able to understand the context, analyse the most reliable sources and summarise the information for us.
Artificial intelligence arrives on WhatsApp: ChatGPT within reach
Do we want even more? Now we can chat with ChatGPT directly on WhatsApp. Yes, you read that right. Just add the dedicated number (+1 800 242 8478) to your contacts, write your question and get immediate answers. If we needed advice on a recipe, a suggestion for the weekend or a summary of an article, it would be enough to open WhatsApp and ask.
Although the version of ChatGPT integrated into WhatsApp offers many of the features found in the dedicated application, such as translating texts, helping to draft essays and creating creative content, it has some limitations. For example, as well as having a limited number of monthly interactions, it is not able to carry out real-time searches on the Internet, nor to process images or use voice recognition.
Despite all this, though, the integration of ChatGPT with WhatsApp is a huge step. Why? Because it makes artificial intelligence part of our everyday life. We no longer have to open a specific app or a website: the AI is there, ready to help us while we send messages to our friends or organise an evening out. It is like having a personal assistant who is always available, without always having to ask other people, in the knowledge that whatever the problem, they will always be the ones to solve it for us.
The AI that changes the game: more human search engines
The birth of SearchGPT or the introduction of ChatGPT on platforms such as WhatsApp is only the tip of the iceberg. These technologies are revolutionising the whole concept of “search”. Here are some of the most interesting transformations:
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More natural interactions: we no longer have to type complicated keywords, but write exactly as we would talk to a friend, and the AI will understand us.
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Personalised answers: if SearchGPT knows that we are keen on vegan cooking or that we prefer to save money, it will adapt the answers to your needs.
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Immediate access: if we needed to know how to tie a tie or what the best itinerary is for a trip to Poland, we no longer have to waste hours searching: the AI gives us the answer straight away.
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Real-time knowledge: and what if we wanted to know which films are showing tonight at the nearest cinema? SearchGPT accesses up-to-date information and tells us in a moment.
All that glitters is not gold: the challenges of AI in search engines
Of course, it is not all roses. AI technologies such as SearchGPT also present challenges. The question of privacy and the handling of personal data is often at the centre of the debate but, after talking to numerous experts in the AI sector (and I stress this in our podcast Nessun Segnale by dotenv too, where we have hosted many authoritative voices), as a private citizen it is not an aspect that worries me particularly. It is a different matter for companies and professionals.
What I find truly crucial, instead, is the issue of fake news. Artificial intelligence, however advanced, is only as “intelligent” as the information it is trained on or draws from. If the model comes across unreliable or deliberately misleading sources, the risk of spreading false news increases exponentially, and this is a serious problem, because an answer generated by an AI is often perceived as authoritative and correcting any errors or misunderstandings can be complex. Moreover, once a piece of false news has spread through search engines, the damage is practically done: removing it from collective memory becomes almost impossible.
This is where we need to turn the spotlight. Building ever more sophisticated models is not enough: what is needed is constant vigilance over the quality of sources, as well as systems that clearly flag the uncertainty or the limits of certain answers. The real challenge is teaching users (and AIs) to tell what is reliable from what is not.
The future is here and it has never been so intelligent
Artificial intelligence is redefining the way we use the web and look for information on search engines. With tools such as SearchGPT and the integration of ChatGPT on WhatsApp, we are entering an era in which searching for information is no longer a task, but a real conversation. It is fast, intuitive and, let’s face it, rather futuristic.
So, the next time we have to look for something on a search engine, let’s ask ourselves: do we want to get lost in a sea of links again, or do we prefer a more direct and personalised answer?
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