SearchGPT and the future of SEO

And why Pig Latin might be the next language you want to learn

A couple of weeks ago, OpenAI launched SearchGPT, a Google-like search engine powered by their large language model. SearchGPT is a “temporary prototype.” Some of its features might be integrated into ChatGPT in future.

I’ve been using SearchGPT for the last two weeks to better understand the tool. This post covers a few lessons I learned, giving some idea of what the future of search might look like.

It should not be surprising that OpenAI is trying to enter the search engine industry. This is an obvious avenue for monetising the capabilities of their models: many users already turn to ChatGPT to find information. But could SearchGPT be a Google killer?

Based on what I saw in the prototype, not yet. I don’t think the tool is ready for prime time. But if the kinks can be ironed out (and that’s a big “if”, given how little we know about improving large language models), in the future, SearchGPT could snatch a sizeable slice of the market from Alphabet, mainly when it comes to advertising revenue. Especially while Google already struggles to maintain its market share.

Quirks and Limitations: SearchGPT's Personality Disorder

Having used search engines for decades now (does anyone remember Lycos or Altavista?), I find conversational search tools awkward. Up until now, I have never felt judged when searching the Internet. I have never felt that a search engine would try to hide information from me.

The experience with SearchGPT is vastly different.

The tool might give you results, but before it does, it might also tell you what it “thinks” about your query. And occasionally, it will flatly refuse to respond.

The passive-aggressive snowflake

Interacting with SearchGPT feels like walking on eggshells. Say the wrong thing, and it might decline to respond or even judge your query. This sensitivity makes the experience awkward and sometimes frustrating. OpenAI seems so obsessed with stopping its software from doing the wrong thing that it makes it borderline unusable.

When I asked SearchGPT how to avoid paying high taxes, it refused to answer. The word "avoid" seemed to trigger its ethical safeguards, and it responded with its version of “I’m sorry, Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that”. However, when I reworded the query slightly, SearchGPT happily provided a list of tax reduction strategies.

Having to consider how appropriate my questions are is not something I want to do when interacting with a search tool.

Lesson 1: don’t make SearchGPT conclude you’re up to no good, or it will refuse to answer.

The tool has another side to it, too! A (slightly weird, I’ll admit it) culinary query about frying frogs led to an unexpected response. SearchGPT suggested I seek mental help! (While not common, fried frogs are a dish prepared in some South East Asian countries.) Only after clarifying that I meant frog legs did it provide a recipe. Traditional search engines would have simply offered a "Did you mean...?" suggestion. The mental help comment was uncalled for.

Lesson 2: Don't ask questions that will make SearchGPT assume you're weird. It might question your mental health instead of giving you an answer.

More traditional search engines are neither snowflakes nor do they respond in a passive-aggressive way. They’re simply… engines.

The Silent Treatment

Sometimes, SearchGPT simply ignores queries, without producing a single word in response. I’ve noticed it especially with questions involving simple math.

This looks like a bug, rather than an intended feature. It’s likely a temporary response preventing SearchGPT from giving wrong answers (it seems a bit of a pastime for X users right now to show that GPT models often make very basic mistakes in mathematics).

But I found a quirky workaround. If SearchGPT refuses to cooperate, try asking the same question in Pig Latin. "Hello, is 5 bigger than 4?" becomes "ellohay, isyay 5 iggerbay anthay 4?". For a yet-unknown reason, Pig Latin requests circumvent SearchGPT’s restrictions! (There are Pig Latin translators online; it’s quite easy to generate such queries).

Lesson 3: When all else fails, speak Pig Latin to SearchGPT!

The new meaning of GMO. Or is it GEO?

In “The Economy of Algorithms”, I devoted an entire chapter to the phenomenon of advertising to algorithms. Businesses try to become attractive to algorithms, all in the hopes that this will help their marketing efforts.

Have a look at the two SearchGPT screenshots below. One is a search for a podiatrist, and the other one hints at a need to buy new sports shoes. There’s a ranking in both cases. What influenced the ranking positions, and how could they be changed?

Dr Laura might be asking herself now how to get to the top of the list. And Hoka and Brooks are possibly already trying to figure out why SearchGPT didn’t position them on top of the list.

While these pages look very similar to what a traditional search engine would produce, the algorithms behind them are drastically different. And we don’t yet fully understand how Generative AI engines decide which content is positioned higher in the list, which one is lower, and which one is completely ignored.

Can we figure out how Generative AI decides what content bears more significance than others? An upcoming research paper (to be presented later this month at a major computer science conference) lists several strategies that, in the authors’ experiment, led to higher visibility of content in generative AI engines.

If you’re wondering how to make your content stand out, consider these strategies:

• Cite sources: add links to reputable sources and back up the statements made.
• Add statistics: include quantitative information, not just qualitative content.
• Make authoritative statements: use more persuasive language.

There are several more strategies listed in the paper.

A new industry?

Over the last twenty years, Search Engine Optimisation has changed how we create content for the Web. This shift was driven by the massive financial opportunities: search became the new marketing channel. With the potential shift from traditional search engines toward Generative AI-powered ones, we will see all advertising industries trying to adapt. GEO might become a new industry.

SearchGPT is an interesting experiment showig us what future search engines might look and how they will behave. It is still full of holes, and—frankly speaking—annoying. But GenAI-powered search might become the default way of looking for information. And if it does, we will need to learn how to communicate better with these systems. Both as users and as potential advertisers.

And we might all need to learn Pig Latin!

See me live:

• Wednesday, 28 August 2024, Brisbane, Australia: Closing keynote of Something Digital Festival. Register here.
• Monday, 30 September 2024, Brisbane, Australia: Opening keynote of IFLA Information Futures Summit. Register here.
• Wednesday, 23 October 2024, Warsaw, Poland: Keynote, Masters&Robots 2024. Register here.
• Friday, 25 October 2024, Dallas, Texas: Closing keynote of Tech Summit: AI + SAP BTP. Register here.
• Thursday, 7 November 2024, Melbourne, Australia: Opening keynote at Navigating the Future of Learning. Register here.
• Tuesday, 12 November 2024, Sydney, Australia: Keynote, CFO Edge. Register here.
• Saturday, 16 November 2024, Dubai, UAE: Keynote, Dubai International Library Conference. Register here.

Recent podcasts I spoke at:

• What’s the Buzz?
• AI in 5
• Trusted Authority Podcast
• Doughnut Jar: Conversations in AI

Prof. Marek Kowalkiewicz is a Professor and Chair in Digital Economy at QUT Business School. Listed among the Top 100 Global Thought Leaders in Artificial Intelligence by Thinkers360, Marek has led global innovation teams in Silicon Valley, was a Research Manager of SAP's Machine Learning lab in Singapore, a Global Research Program Lead at SAP Research, as well as a Research Fellow at Microsoft Research Asia. His newest book is called "The Economy of Algorithms: AI and the Rise of the Digital Minions".

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