Meta Develops AI Search Engine to Reduce Dependence on Google and Bing

Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, is reportedly working on developing its own artificial intelligence-based search engine. This move aims to reduce the company's reliance on Alphabet's Google and Microsoft's Bing, which currently provides Meta AI with news, sports, and stock information. Meta's AI chatbot has already been integrated into its platforms, including WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook, offering users conversational answers through Meta AI. The new search engine will enhance Meta's ability to deliver real-time, relevant information to users.

The report, first published by The Information, reveals that Meta's web crawler will allow the company to compete more effectively in the growing AI search engine market. OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft are all fighting for dominance. By developing its AI-powered search capabilities, Meta seeks to gain more control over the search process and improve its AI products without depending on external search engines.

Meta builds AI search engine to cut Google, Bing reliance, the Information reports | Reuters

Meta's search engine would be designed to provide users with conversational answers to their questions about current events, similar to the offerings from OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google's Gemini AI model, and Microsoft's Bing AI. This strategy aligns with Meta's ongoing efforts to improve its AI-driven products and services across its platforms.

Last week, Meta announced that its AI chatbot will use Reuters' content to answer real-time user queries about current events and news. This partnership highlights Meta's commitment to enhancing the accuracy and reliability of its AI search results.

While Meta's AI developments show promise, the move to build its search engine also raises concerns about copyright infringement and fair compensation for content creators. Scraping web data to train AI models has been a contentious topic, and Meta's expansion into the AI search space may face similar scrutiny. OpenAI, for instance, relies heavily on Microsoft's Bing for access to web data to answer topical queries, leading to discussions about how these platforms obtain and use online content.

For its part, Google is aggressively integrating its latest AI model, Gemini, into its core products like Search. The goal is to offer users more conversational and intuitive search experiences, further intensifying competition in the AI search engine market.

In Google's parent company, Alphabet, shares fell slightly after news broke about Meta's search engine ambitions, while Meta's stock saw a modest gain. This reaction reflects the shifting dynamics in the tech industry as companies like Meta seek to diversify their AI offerings and reduce reliance on external partners.

With Meta looking to cut ties with Google and Bing, its new AI search engine could significantly shift how the company handles data and provides information to users. As the AI search engine market continues to evolve, Meta's move is seen as a strategic effort to stay competitive in a field dominated by its biggest rivals.