According to the latest report from The Information, Meta is quietly advancing an ambitious plan: developing a dedicated search engine for its AI chatbots. This strategic shift is a deep reflection on the significant losses caused by Apple's privacy policy changes.
Meta's search engine project has been conducted in secret for at least eight months. The company aims to integrate web indexing into Meta AI to reduce its reliance on Google Search and Microsoft Bing. Although Meta disclosed its web crawler technology this summer, it only vaguely stated that it was used for "AI model training and product improvement." The project is currently led by senior engineering manager Xueyuan Su.
Image source note: The image was generated by AI, authorized by Midjourney
This move is closely related to Meta's previous "pain." In 2021, Apple's App Tracking Transparency (ATT) feature cost Meta over $10 billion in ad revenue. To avoid a similar situation, Zuckerberg is clearly determined to enhance the company's technological autonomy. Additionally, Meta has partnered with Reuters to enhance its AI's ability in news Q&A.
It is worth noting that Meta's AI business is growing strongly. As Zuckerberg revealed on Threads, Meta AI currently has 185 million weekly active users and over 400 million monthly active users. This is particularly impressive since the service has not yet launched in key markets such as the UK, Brazil, and the EU. In comparison, competitor OpenAI's ChatGPT has 250 million weekly active users.
It is currently unclear whether Meta needs to pay Google or Microsoft for search access, but the game between these tech giants has already begun. Meta's strategic transformation not only reflects its pursuit of technological autonomy but also heralds a potential new change in the competitive landscape of the AI field.