The exact same, maybe using AI on the backend to improve results, maybe for language translation. But AI is useless in search for the most part. People are looking for a specific thing quickly with the least typing. People don’t want to have a conversation with a chat bot to personalize their results.
I think AI is overhyped right now. Very few real businesses being built on GPT outside of copywriting and blog spam, and consumer toys (avatars, art, funny filters).
I also think Google knows it’s not as disruptive as people think it is.
Different use cases. For writing code or poetry, being able to follow up is wonderful. Or for exploring a topic you're curious about. Or for summarizing.
For other things, maybe less useful. But I think you're underestimating. People Google for Google or type domains into search and click the first link regardless of what it says. If chat gives people what they want with vague queries, they'll use it.
Google but allowing incremental queries. Incremental!= conversational a la ChatGPT. So I can tell Google to ignore an interpretation of my query so I can drill down to the exact thing. I don’t like writing full sentences or questions to ChatGPT especially when it doesn’t have auto complete.
Generative content sprinkled here and there but majority of results still being genuine human created content.
I don’t see MSFT being a player here. Their ML talent is shallow, their search team is tiny compared to Google and a partnership with a startup won’t change that