Search will never be the same after ChatGPT - Part 2
ChatGPT launched at the end of November 2022 and it set the record for the fastest growing user base for a consumer internet app. Within 2 months, ChatGPT crossed the 100 million user mark. For comparison, it took TikTok 9 months to reach 100 million users and it took Instagram 2.5 years to reach the same level.
TikTok and Instagram relied heavily on social and sharing features to leverage network effects to drive adoption. Both companies also spent millions on digital advertising to drive downloads and installs for these apps.
What’s remarkable is that ChatGPT achieved incredible growth without the standard growth playbook of silicon valley. It achieved rapid growth by delivering a true technology breakthrough that spread through word of mouth which was amplified by mainstream media.
Source: Media Cloud / Tow Center
Why was ChatGPT so successful?
A lot has been written about the success of ChatGPT. The best explanation is that ChatGPT reached a tipping point where it provided a service that made it seemingly intelligent enough to be human.
If you ask ChatGPT, here’s the following response. It’s a good example of how ChatGPT excels at providing intelligently summarized information in a succinct manner.
ChatGPT achieved success with many users due to several key factors:
Natural and user-friendly interaction: ChatGPT offers a conversational interface that mimics human-like interaction. Users can communicate with the model in a more intuitive and natural manner, similar to having a conversation with a person. This user-friendly experience has made ChatGPT more approachable and appealing to a wide range of users.
Versatility and broad applicability: ChatGPT's flexibility and broad domain knowledge make it suitable for addressing a wide range of user queries and tasks. It can provide information, answer questions, offer suggestions, assist with creative writing, and more. This versatility has attracted users from various backgrounds, including students, researchers, developers, content creators, and curious individuals seeking information.
Availability and accessibility: OpenAI has made ChatGPT accessible through various channels, including the API, web interface, and third-party integrations. This availability has enabled users to interact with ChatGPT through their preferred platforms, applications, or services, making it convenient for a wide user base.
Constant learning and improvement: OpenAI actively encourages user feedback and uses it to improve ChatGPT continually. By incorporating user suggestions and addressing limitations, OpenAI has been able to refine the model's behavior and enhance its usefulness. Users appreciate that their feedback is taken into account, which creates a sense of involvement and ownership in the development process.
Community engagement and support: OpenAI has fostered an engaged community around ChatGPT. Users share their experiences, insights, and applications, creating a collaborative and supportive ecosystem. This community engagement has helped users discover new use cases, learn from each other, and find solutions to challenges, further enhancing the value and appeal of ChatGPT.
Regular updates and feature enhancements: OpenAI has been proactive in releasing updates and adding new features to ChatGPT based on user needs and requirements. These updates have expanded the model's capabilities, addressing limitations and introducing novel functionalities. Users appreciate the continuous improvement and look forward to the evolving capabilities of ChatGPT.
By combining these factors, ChatGPT has garnered a large and diverse user base, providing assistance and value to users across different domains, tasks, and levels of expertise.
How does ChatGPT change Search?
To understand how ChatGPT changes search, let’s go back to Google’s mission which is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. The same can be said for ChatGPT. ChatGPT is effectively absorbing and also organizing the world's information and making it universally accessible and useful.
The difference between Google Search and ChatGPT is that while they may be both organizing the world's information, they differ in how they're organizing and making the world's information universally accessible and useful.
Google Search works by using a web crawler to create an index of web page content that can be searched by keywords. Users enter keywords which Google users to navigate this index and generated a ranked listing of web pages.
ChatGPT works by ingesting text data from multiple sources and training a large language model (LLM). Based on this training, ChatGPT has a deep understanding of semantics which is the relationship between words, sentences, phrases, and meaning. Users can then engage in a natural conversation with ChatGPT which generates relevant content to a user’s request based on the knowledge (i.e. semantics) inside the LLM.
Let’s take the example from the previous post around planning a romantic trip to Paris. We could provide the same keywords to ChatGPT (“recommendations for romantic trip to Paris”) and here’s the response:
Certainly! Paris offers numerous romantic experiences for couples. Here are some recommendations for a memorable and romantic trip:
Eiffel Tower: Start your trip with a visit to the iconic Eiffel Tower. While it's a tourist attraction, it still holds a special romantic charm, especially when lit up at night. Consider having a picnic in the nearby Champ de Mars park for a romantic meal with a view.
Seine River Cruise: Take a romantic boat cruise along the Seine River. Choose a dinner cruise to enjoy a gourmet meal while admiring the city's landmarks illuminated at night, or opt for a daytime cruise to soak in the beauty of Paris during the day.
Montmartre: Explore the enchanting neighborhood of Montmartre. Wander through the narrow streets, visit the charming Place du Tertre, and enjoy the panoramic views from the steps of Sacré-Cœur Basilica. Montmartre's artistic atmosphere adds a touch of romance to your visit.
Pont des Arts: Take a romantic stroll across the Pont des Arts, also known as the "Love Lock Bridge." While the original love locks were removed, the bridge still offers a beautiful view of the Seine River and a romantic setting for a leisurely walk.
Jardin du Luxembourg: Escape to the tranquil Jardin du Luxembourg, a romantic park with beautiful gardens, statues, and fountains. Rent a classic wooden sailboat and float it in the pond, or simply find a bench to relax and enjoy each other's company.
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Unlike Google Search, you can provide more context to ChatGPT using regular sentences and get better and more personalized results. For example, here’s the ChatGPT response to the prompt:
“I'm taking a trip to Paris with my wife and I'm looking for recommendations on romantic things to do in Paris. We're not into tourist type activities and would prefer activities or places frequented by local Parisians. Can you provide a great list of recommendations?”
Certainly! While Paris is known for its iconic tourist attractions, there are plenty of romantic activities and places that are popular among the locals. Here's a list of recommendations for romantic experiences in Paris:
Take a stroll along the Seine: Walking along the banks of the Seine River, especially in the evening when the lights illuminate the city, offers a romantic ambiance. Consider starting from the Île Saint-Louis and continuing towards the Eiffel Tower.
Picnic at Parc des Buttes-Chaumont: This beautiful park offers lush greenery, hilly landscapes, and a tranquil lake. Pack a picnic basket with French delicacies, find a cozy spot, and enjoy a romantic meal amidst nature.
Explore the hidden passages: Paris has several hidden passages and arcades that offer a charming and unique atmosphere. Passage des Panoramas, Passage Jouffroy, and Galerie Vivienne are a few examples where you can find quaint shops, cafés, and boutiques.
Visit the Musée de la Vie Romantique: This small and intimate museum is dedicated to the Romantic era and provides a serene setting for art lovers. Explore the exhibits, relax in the peaceful courtyard, and enjoy a cup of tea at the charming tea salon.
Sip wine at a cozy wine bar: Paris is famous for its wine culture, and there are numerous cozy wine bars where you can enjoy a relaxed evening. Le Baron Rouge in the 12th arrondissement and La Cave de Belleville in the 20th arrondissement are popular choices among locals.
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If you compare the results you get from ChatGPT versus Google Search, there are a few things that stand out.
Google makes an editorial decision to rank web pages based on their content while ChatGPT makes an editorial decision on the content itself.
Google returns a list of ranked web pages with short snippets of content for the user to review. The user needs to visit a series of web pages to gather information to make a decision. ChatGPT returns a list of recommendations with descriptions for the user to make a decision without visiting a series of websites.
ChatGPT has the ability to extract more meaning and nuance from the user’s request to adapt recommendations. Google has limited capabilities to understand meaning and nuance since keywords are not as expressive as complete sentences.
Google actually limits search queries to 32 words and entering in complete sentences does nothing to improve the search result. If anything, it can degrade the quality of the search results. For example, here’s what Google returns when you enter the same long prompt on romantic trip to Paris recommendations:
As you can see from the example, Google has determined that the overriding factor is to avoid touristy things and the nuance around a romantic trip is completely lost.
With ChatGPT, it returns a reasonable list of recommendations when you enter in a Google search like list of keywords. It returns an even better list of recommendations when you provide additional details around avoiding touristy activities and locations. It’s a great illustration of the potential for ChatGPT to provide a superior search experience.
ChatGPT is the beginning of a major change in the way people interact with computers
The first programmable digital computer was the ENIAC and it required highly trained technical people to perform tasks. Since then, computing has evolved but it still requires people to learn how to use a computer. Instead of the machine adapting to humans, humans have to adapt to use computers.
The same thing has happened in Search. When people are seeking information, the most natural thing is to ask questions and have a discussion with clarifying points. Coming up with a set of keywords limited to 32 words is not natural and it’s also quite limiting. In other words, people still have to adapt and do unnatural things to access and use the world’s information which means it’s not universally accessible.
ChatGPT is a huge breakthrough in enabling a more natural way of interacting with computers. With ChatGPT, seeking information and using information can be a natural conversation between the user and the computer. This is a major breakthrough when it comes to Search and it goes a long way to make the worlds’ information universally accessible and useful.
Like all significant technology innovations and breakthroughs, ChatGPT will have a major impact across many areas with intended and unintended consequences. It’s an opportunity for challengers to topple established players and it can also be an opportunity for dominant players to fend off challengers to increase their dominance over the industry. We’ll explore more of these topics in upcoming posts!