In a bid to disrupt the search engine landscape, Meta is developing an in-house AI-powered search tool, reportedly building a database of web content that its AI can leverage for up-to-the-minute responses. According to reports from The Information, Meta’s web crawlers have been actively indexing web content over recent months to support this initiative, as the tech giant looks to deliver faster and more direct answers for users.
Meta’s venture into AI search technology marks a significant step in the growing trend among tech heavyweights to integrate artificial intelligence into search services. OpenAI launched SearchGPT, offering a similar AI-driven experience, while Google is rolling out its Gemini AI model to make its search more interactive and conversational. Apple is also exploring alternatives to Google as it assesses new search options for its devices, further diversifying the competitive search landscape.
To enhance the credibility of its AI responses, Meta recently inked a partnership with Reuters, enabling its AI to utilize credible news content in user queries. This move signals a potential return to news-based content for Meta, which had scaled back its news initiatives in previous years. However, with this expansion comes a set of challenges. The use of web-sourced data to train AI has stirred debate about data scraping and compensation for content creators—a contentious issue that has sparked lawsuits from publishers against AI companies like OpenAI and Perplexity AI.
The introduction of a Meta-powered search engine aligns with the company’s overarching goal of building a more independent digital ecosystem, thereby reducing reliance on external partners. This initiative not only positions Meta to diversify its revenue sources but also enhances its competitive footing in the rapidly evolving AI search market.
