Introduction
After the
introduction of ChatGPT, people started using it as a search engine for complex
queries and custom responses, eliminating the time needed to visit pages and
pages on Google to find the right answers, but there was a problem: while it
would return usually meaningful and useful results, it sometimes returns also
dummy results that were just generated. To overcome this, some companies,
including OpenAI itself, started melting the generative power of LLMs (large
language models) with the results of traditional search engines. All this
resulted in the creation of the so-called “AI search engines”. In this article,
I’m going to show you some of the best options of AI search engines.
You’re asking, why did I put there ChatGPT if I just said it was the problem that brought to AI search engines? Well, actually ChatGPT became one of them, kind of… let me explain… to solve the problem of dummy results, a plugin for web search was introduced, allowing the model to answer with meaningful and updated information, but this is only accessible through the Pro subscription. I put it here not because it’s part of the 6 I want to suggest, but because if you already have a ChatGPT Pro subscription, this might be useful for you to know.
Anyway… let’s get started with the real list!
Based on Bing search and GPT-4 (yes, because Microsoft actually funds OpenAI in exchange for technology usage), Microsoft Copilot is able to answer specific questions and cite the sources where it found all the information and, it also includes an image generator (another time from OpenAI, specifically DALL-E 3).
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Powered by GPT-4, (one of) the most advanced model out there, which here
is made freely available, and Bing, one of the most famous search engine
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You can generate AI images, too
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Cites the sources used in the responses
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You can choose what type of conversation you want between Creative,
Balanced and Precise
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Follow-up questions
are suggested
Cons
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It also has the ability to upload and analyze images, but the results
are not accurate enough, making the feature useless
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Even if you can ask follow-up questions keeping the search context,
Microsoft limits them (usually to 30 questions) to prevent service misuse/abuse
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Microsoft makes all these features free to keep you on their ecosystem,
in fact they limit the number of follow-up questions available to you (usually
only 3) and the speed of the search (about a 3x slowdown) if you don’t have a
Microsoft account or you don’t use Edge, its browser. Also if you don’t have a
Microsoft account you can’t generate images.
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Answers are really fast, sometimes visibly faster than ChatGPT
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Answers are usually detailed and explanatory, while easy to be read
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Other than the primary answer, Gemini generates automatically 2
additional drafts so you can choose the answer you prefer
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You can edit the generated answer to be shorter, longer, easier, more
informal or more professional
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Unlimited follow-up
questions
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Uploaded images analysis is really powerful (probably also thanks to
Google Lens technology)
Cons
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Sources citation isn’t automatic and you have to press a button after
Gemini answered your question
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You need a Google account to use Gemini
This is the AI search engine I prefer to use. It’s probably the most successful mixture between the simplicity of a traditional search engine and the superpowers of an AI product.
Also, it uses a
custom AI model specifically designed for search results, while the other
models, simplifying a lot, received the ability to integrate themselves with
updated search results only after being initially trained.
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Answers are usually even faster than Gemini
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It masters the ability to add citations to the answer provided, showing
directly the sources on top of the page
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As an “exclusive” feature, Perplexity also searches for images and
videos regarding your queries, making it the only real ready replacement for a
traditional search engine
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Follow-up questions are not limited and it also suggests some follow-ups
you would probably ask
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You can attach a document to your search, also if on the free plan it’s
limited to 3 documents a day
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No account is required to search (but I suggest it as you’re able to
save your searches for later)
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Focus modes allow Perplexity to focus on specific actions. You can
choose between All (default), Academic, Writing, Wolfram|Alpha, YouTube and
Reddit
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There is a Discover section which is focused on recent news, where the
AI gets information from different sources and generates a single “article”
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It isn’t part of a big tech company as Microsoft and Google
Cons
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(Also if you can search in different languages,) Currently the website
is available in English only so all the content and the Discover section won’t
appear in your main language if it’s not English
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If you set a preferred language inside settings, the language will
always be used, also if you write your query in a different language
I hope with this
article you learned a bit more about these AI search engines.
While my main
suggestion is to use Perplexity, you should try them all, as the right tool for
me may not be the one for you. Also, after choosing the one to go, don’t miss
the fact that other ones could still be useful when you can’t find or get what
you are searching for.
Hi, I'm Giorgio Bellisario, a Liceo
Scientifico student. My passion revolves around tech and everything computer-related. Coding
is my favorite hobby, and I primarily focus on web development, crafting
websites from scratch. If you're intrigued by all things tech and ethical
"hacking", you've come to the right place.
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