Google ramping up AI with overhaul to battle Microsoft’s ChatGPT-powered Bing

The race for AI dominance continues as Google plans to implement “Magi”, which will overhaul how Google’s search engine works. The company hopes to have over 30 million users in the US by the end of 2023.

It’s been a rough ride for Google over the past several months. Since ChatGPT landed on the scene, the tech industry has seen a gold rush. Everyone from Microsoft, to OpenAI and Nvidia, have enjoyed an increased interest in generative AI tech.

However, for Google, the company has had a relatively rocky start. Its generative AI chatbot, Bard, seems to have fallen behind its competitors regarding features and uptake. While Bing’s GPT-4 based AI is being baked into almost everything from your phone’s keyboard to Microsoft Office and more, Google’s Bard is still sitting as an experiment over on their site. Samsung is even considering switching to Bing as the main search engine on its devices, a deal that could lose Google around $3 billion in annual revenue per year.

According to a report from the New York Times, Google is now seeking to change all of that with a brand-new project, dubbed “Magi”.

What is Google Magi?

Google Magi is an internal codename for updates to Google’s search engine. It will bring with it AI features that will allow for enhanced personalization. The system would learn what users will be searching for as they begin typing, and offer more “conversational” experiences rather than simply answering search queries.

There are more than 160 people working full-time on Magi, the New York Times reports. The new features are due to launch in May 2023, and the company aims to have over 30 million users by the end of the year. However, these features will be limited to users in the United States. There is no work on a worldwide launch for the overhauled search system quite yet.

Google is hedging a lot of bets on its AI development, and while it appears that the company may be falling behind in certain aspects, they are clearly looking to fight back.