Meta is reportedly developing its own AI-powered search engine.
Meta wants to reduce its dependence on Google and Microsoft’s Bing and hopes an in-house search engine will do the trick.
ech giant Meta is reportedly working on creating its own AI-powered search engine to lessen its reliance on existing search products like Google and Microsoft’s Bing.
The new search engine will generate conversational AI-powered summaries of recent information and current events, which will be delivered to users through Meta’s AI chatbot. According to a report from The Information on October 28, which cited an anonymous source, a dedicated engineering team at Meta has been working for the past eight months to build a relevant information database for this new search engine.
Currently, Meta’s AI chatbot, integrated with its suite of social media apps including Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, relies on Google and Bing search engines to answer user queries.
Meta’s decision to create a proprietary search engine follows similar actions by other major AI players, such as OpenAI. In July, OpenAI introduced a search engine prototype called “SearchGPT,” with plans to integrate it into its ChatGPT platform. Similarly, Bloomberg reported on October 2 that Apple had begun replacing some elements of Google search functionality with its own AI tools.
Additionally, on October 25, Meta announced a multiyear partnership with Reuters to integrate AI-powered chat features into its platforms, marking its first significant step into news content in years.
Meta’s move to incorporate news content through its AI chatbot is a departure from its previous efforts to reduce news and political content across its platforms. Following controversies, including the discontinuation of its “News Tab” and a diminished focus on political news after 2020, Meta had distanced itself from news-centric features. However, this new AI partnership suggests a possible return to news in a more controlled, targeted manner, catering to users who actively seek out news rather than passively receiving it in their feeds.
