For decades, whenever you needed to know something, you Googled it. What time is the Super Bowl? How to fix a leaking faucet? What is the difference between the iPhone16 and the iPhone 15? What will the weather be like tomorrow? Who is Maria Callas?

In addition to its original goal of indexing the web, Google has evolved to be able to extract information and offer it to you without you actually having to visit a website. Try a Google search today and for a number of these questions above, you’ll see the answer at the top of the results: no additional clicks necessary.

Now, generative AI models like ChatGPT promise to do this job faster, more comprehensively, and more usefully than Google, even though Google has added AI responses. to its own pages in response. Concrete example: OpenAI just launched ChatGPT web search for Plus subscribers and free users will receive the update soon.

So, will we soon all be using ChatGPT instead of Google when we need to know something? I pitted the current leader in web search against this new entrant, comparing them in a variety of key areas to see what kind of results I’d get – and if I were Google, I’d already be worrying about the quality of its rival in terms of AI. East.

News, sports, weather

ChatGPT performs well on sports results and matches.
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We often use a web search to find out what is happening in the present moment or in the near future. So I asked both search engines when my soccer team’s next game was (and used their nickname to make things harder). Full marks across the board, as Google and ChatGPT both gave me the correct time and date, and even told me which TV channel the show would be on.

And the weather? Again, it’s about even, with both search engines returning a week’s worth of forecasts, although the visuals Google used were a bit more helpful. You could specify different locations and different times, and Google and ChatGPT knew my current location (I guessed by my IP address).

Google can also offer a lot of sports information.
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Then I asked about Squid Game 2 recently released trailer. Google search of course has the advantage of a News tab, while ChatGPT search is still in its infancy, so I had to specify “news” in my query on the latter. ChatGPT gave me useful information about the upcoming season, but Google was better at surfacing news headlines and finding the trailer.

OpenAI claims to have signed partnerships with some news, sports, and weather providers, and generally speaking, ChatGPT search is already doing a good job here. However, Google still has the advantage: it reaches deeper into the web, covers a wider range of sources, and presents more information in its results.

Tips and guides

ChatGPT will confidently tell you how to do something.
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Next, I tested search engines for instructions for a few simple tasks: resetting an iPhone, making an omelette, and cleaning a shower. As expected, Google was better at surfacing good quality web links for the task, while ChatGPT was better at writing the steps itself, with links to the sources (there is some debate over have about what’s best for editors and human writers providing the content, but we’ll save that for another day).

As far as I could tell, ChatGPT’s instructions were reliable enough and were all from reputable sites. Google, for its part, chose its links well and, for certain search queries, it also displayed the answers of its AI. For the iPhone question, Google and ChatGPT have summarized Official instructions from Apple using AI and linked to the Apple page.

Google still prefers links to lots of guides and tips.
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At this point, Google wins when it comes to showing additional content beyond web links, including YouTube videos and social media posts, although ChatGPT will occasionally show a YouTube link as well, if he considers it necessary. In cases where both search tools displayed AI-generated instructions, ChatGPT generally presented the most detailed and helpful instructions, although there was often little to differentiate between them.

Of course, I can really only scratch the surface when it comes to this type of research, and the results (and their quality) are going to vary depending on what you want to do. Which search option you prefer may depend on whether you want a direct link to a website you can trust for advice (for this, Google is still your best bet), or whether you want a user-generated summary. AI of what you need to do (this is where ChatGPT really excels).

ChatGPT has some mapping and localization capabilities.
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As I’ve discussed before, Google has the advantage in how deep it can go on the web and how many additional tools it can call upon. If you’re looking for a specific webcam or coffee machine you want to purchase, for example, Google is much better at including a long list of purchasing options (including sponsored content) alongside its search results.

ChatGPT offers shopping links in its responses, but there are not as many of them and they are included in the text rather than presented separately. It also doesn’t have Google’s Shopping tab, which lets you narrow down selections by price, search for specific brands and features, and see user reviews.

Google Search can get help from Google Maps.
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Find a place to go

It’s the same story with locations: ChatGPT can make an attempt with searches like “cafe near me”, and it gave me decent answers when I asked, but it’s not on the level of Google for now. For better or worse, Google knows a lot more about me, and that can help recognize the kinds of places I like and have been to before.

Google Search can be seamlessly linked to Google Maps, which is useful for checking reviews or getting directions somewhere. ChatGPT search provides links to sites like TripAdvisor for reviews and opens Google Maps if you want to get directions somewhere. Although I was impressed with the amount of shopping and card information ChatGPT already has access to, I will still be using Google for these searches for the foreseeable future.

The search interface

ChatGPT’s answers are clear and clear.
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Overall, Google remains ahead of the curve when it comes to finding information on the web, which is really no surprise: it’s been around since the late ’90s and has had plenty of time to refine its craft. But where ChatGPT impresses is with the clarity and simplicity of its interface. And when you’ve become accustomed to Google search results filled with ads and SEO tricks, it’s a pretty refreshing change.

Of course, the ChatGPT web search is only just beginning. OpenAI can afford to deploy a sleek, user-friendly interface now, and think about making money and serving ads later. But as far as how it looks and works at the moment, I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how well it distills all the noise from the web, presenting answers without fuss or clutter.

Google can have difficulty handling complex searches and questions.
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The final verdict: ChatGPT is surprisingly good

For complex, multi-faceted searches, ChatGPT may actually be the best in Google. When I asked “which REM record had the most problematic production?” ChatGPT gave me the correct answer (Fables of Reconstruction) and the reasons why, while Google referred me to pages talking more generally about the worst REM results. ChatGPT also makes it easy to ask follow-up questions.

I also like the way ChatGPT presents its sources: the links are there if you need them, but displayed subtly, and help guard against hallucinations (which, let’s be honest, are still a problem). While I’m not going to stop searching Google anytime soon, I’ll definitely be using ChatGPT regularly for certain types of queries, and there’s no doubt that the AI ​​bot has the potential to transform the way we find information online – a change that Google is already making. I quickly try to prepare myself with its own AI offerings.