It seemed to be a lost battle.
It’s been many years since Google came to dominate the world of search.
It did something that, even after all the time that has passed, still seems incredible: It put the entire internet into a single search engine.
And in doing so it blew up every other search system.
Previous systems like Altavista quickly fell into disuse and disappeared as well.
And seeing the business potential of most people depending on your functions to find anything, there were those who dared to try to create competitors.
They did so by attacking the pillars of Google’s business: no advertising, we take care of your privacy, …
The truth is that for most people the Internet is Google.
And in a situation like this it seems very difficult to make a change.
But recently someone has managed to shake things up
Of course, like most of the novelties that have been happening in recent months in the world of technology, it has come from the hand of Artificial Intelligence.
Microsoft was one of those who tried to storm the space of the giant Google.
Taking advantage of its presence on many computers through the Windows operating system, they tried to convince people to try and use their search engine Bing.
In fact, Bing is functionally a copy of Google. If you know how to use Google, you know how to use Bing.
Even Google managed to remove the Internet Explorer browser from computers by launching its own Chrome browser.
And the only reaction from Microsoft, after years of trying to reverse control of the browser, was to come out with a new one, Edge.
Edge is equally a copy of Chrome.
In fact, Edge is built on the same core technology, Chromium, that Google made public.
Still, Microsoft was unable to catch up with Google.
According to StatCounter Global Stats, Google had 90.07% of the global online search engine market share in February 2022.
Microsoft’s Bing was the second most used search engine in the world, with an impressive 2.67% of searches.
OpenAI has recently come to revolutionise the world of technology
And Microsoft has bet heavily on this Artificial Intelligence model with an investment of a billion dollars (at least).
This has given it exclusive permission to use GPT-3 in its systems.
And it grants it the exclusivity to provide OpenAI in cloud services.
How has Microsoft used AI to change the market?
Quite simply.
Want preferential access to Bing super-vitamised with GPT-3? Get on the waiting list!
Want to move up the waiting list?
Install and use Edge daily.
And set Bing as the default engine for your Internet searches.
I was convinced
In my case it wasn’t too difficult a task.
I’m passionate about these topics and I’m like a kid with new shoes.
So as a geek I’m going to take every opportunity to get up to speed with all the possibilities I can with this new technology.
And, besides, the change is quite transparent.
Bing works very much like Google’s search engine, and if you need to expand on something, you open the Chat tab to get a more elaborate answer without retyping the question.
And Edge works pretty much the same as Chrome and accepts the same extensions.
It hasn’t changed the way I work at all.
Will it convince others?
A priori, it doesn’t have to.
For many people, AI is still a toy, a curiosity.
They have not yet seen the full potential it can have for their business and productivity.
But the truth is that the results are already being seen.
Microsoft claims that the number of active users on Bing has already surpassed 100 million per day.
I don’t know how much this means in terms of the global percentage of searches,
How will this war continue?
What is certain is that Google will react.
The world of AI is, in my opinion, the key to business and breakthroughs in the next decade.
But the question is whether it will do so in time.
Microsoft’s move is already having an impact on the use of both Edge and Bing.
And while it is not expected to change Google’s position of dominance, Microsoft can certainly take a bite out of those succulent pies.
In any case, competition should always be good for users.
In short, AI has become a key tool for businesses and an opportunity for those willing to rethink their strategy and take advantage of its benefits.
All businesses. Not just large multinationals can benefit from it.
If you are interested in seeing how to leverage AI for your own business or team, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Being late can be a huge missed opportunity.