Meta joins others reinventing search with AI

A new opportunity

The development comes during a season where many vendors are finding new opportunities with search using generative AI.

For example, Google -- the clear leader in search up to now -- has transformed its longstanding search strategy with AI Overviews, a feature that summarizes search results, provides product comparisons and performs other generative AI-powered services, over the past year.

On Oct. 28, Google expanded AI Overviews to more than 100 countries.

Earlier this year, ChatGPT maker OpenAI revealed it is testing a new AI search model named SearchGPT. OpenAI has also entered partnerships with news organizations, including the Associated Press and Hearst, although The New York Times is suing the generative AI vendor and its partner Microsoft for infringing on the newspaper's copyrighted content.

With other AI vendors finding opportunities with search, it is natural for Meta to jump on board, said Mark Beccue, an analyst with TechTarget's Enterprise Strategy Group.

"It makes sense to me that Meta is exploring this," he said.

However, this seems more like a consumer play than an enterprise-focused one because younger consumers are less likely to open Google and type out a search than older ones, he continued.

Behavior change

This is due to a behavioral change among users, Futurum Group analyst Lisa Martin said.

"Recent studies have shown that younger generations, like Gen Z and Gen Alpha, are no longer using the word 'Google' as a verb and they are 'searching' instead," Martin said. "This definitely opens up the playing field."

The change in user preferences and behavior is leading vendors relatively new to search, such as Meta and OpenAI, to challenge Google's dominant position in search.

"[Google] is facing a challenge as AI is poised to change everything," Martin said.

Meanwhile, recent surveys by Forrester Research found that consumers between the age of 18 and 34 are going to other mediums for answers.

For example, they look to Amazon for product recommendations and TikTok for lifestyle advice.

"There's been a diversification of search beyond Google going on," Forrester Research analyst Nikhil Lai said. "That's definitely accelerating because of ChatGPT's popularity."

The change could even affect Google's search ad market, with some experts predicting that the search giant's market share could fall significantly in the coming years.

As for Meta, the new search system is promising, Martin said.

The social media giant might be prudent to be selective with ways it uses the new search system.

"Rather than bombarding users with news in their feeds that they may not want to see -- for which Meta has come under fire for years -- with AI search Meta could give users the choice of when and what to see in their feeds," she said. "If this happens, it will transform the user experience and put users much more in the driver's seat than ever before."

Engagement and profit

It's also likely that Meta is aiming AI search mostly for deepening engagement.

There's been a diversification of search beyond Google going on.

"This is a way to keep people on-site," Lai said. "it's like a shiny object. This is not necessarily a way to attract more ad dollars."

However, Meta is not the only vendor that is looking to find revenue with the new search AI business model, Lai added.

Google hasn't yet monetized AI overviews. Independent generative AI search vendor Perplexity just started offering advertisers the chance to sponsor questions instead of results. It's still unclear how OpenAI will monetize SearchGPT.

There's also the question of trust in the different search platforms.

"Google is definitely more trustworthy," Lai said, noting that consumer research shows that many still go to Google to clarify results from ChatGPT.

All this also goes to show that the conversational search market as of yet does not have a clear winner.

"Google won the race for ranking information on a search engine results page," Lai said. "The race for conversational search is more open ended."

Esther Ajao is a TechTarget Editorial news writer and podcast host covering artificial intelligence software and systems.