Google May Unveil Its ChatGPT-clone on February 8

Google is home to a lot of AI technology. However, it is not generally open to the public. It also has the chatbot language model ” LaMDA” and an image-generation AI named “Imagen.” OpenAI transforms similar technologies into products such as ChatGPT and DALL-E which are a big hit with the public and attract a lot of attention. However, Google keeps all information internal and talks only about these projects in research papers and blog posts.

According to a CNBC Report, one result of Google’s productization efforts is “Apprentice Bard.” This chatbot uses LaMDA technology to allow people to ask questions and get detailed answers, similar to ChatGPT. This report outlined a number of directions Google could be exploring, including “an alternative search page that could use question-and-answer formats,” “prompts to potential questions placed directly below the main search bar on Google’s homepage” and “a gray bubble that appears directly under the search button, offering more human-like answers than traditional search results.”

ChatGPT is not a problem for Google. 

Google has a history in overreacting when it comes to popular Internet topics. These “clone-a competitor” projects are littering the Google Graveyard. It considered Facebook a threat at one time and created Google+. The project was ultimately shut down and Google today has no social presence. However, the company seems to be doing well. It was Amazon, which was ” Google’s largest search rival” before that. These fears led to the creation of the Amazon Prime clone Google Shopping Express. The project also failed and Amazon is yet to replace Google Search. ChatGPT is being marketed as a search competitor because it allows users to directly answer their questions. Although this is part of Google Search’s business model, Google already offers an interface to get direct answers: Google Assistant. Assistant, like ChatGPT was initially pitched as a chatbot.

The Assistant is fine for simple queries but Google has not been able to monetize it. According to reports, it has been cutting resources from this division. It is unclear how ChatGPT competitors would solve the core problem of monetization, other than to kick that can down the road for a few more years. Monetization is easier when there are 10 links you can sort through, but it’s harder when people find the answer immediately. Google might lose money if they force more people to use that interface. It’s not Google alone: Amazon also hasn’t been able to find an answer to Alexa Monetization.

ChatGPT is most concerned about the stock price. Google’s announcement seems frantic because it has several yearly events that the announcement could easily fit into, such as Google I/O which is held every May. This event will be held next quarter. If Google is concerned about investor confidence, it would explain why this announcement needs to take place this quarter. Keep watching Wednesday!