Meta Platforms Inc. is developing its own AI-powered search engine to reduce reliance on Google and Bing, aiming to offer a more conversational and real-time answer experience to users. This news comes on the heels of a deal with Reuters to utilize their content for real-time answers. Meta’s ambitious move could shake up the search engine landscape.
Reddit CEO Steve Huffman has criticized Microsoft and other big tech companies for refusing to negotiate access to its data for AI training. After implementing new API policies and charging for data access, Reddit signed deals with Google and OpenAI, but Microsoft, Anthropic, and Perplexity declined to negotiate. Reddit recently blocked all web crawling on its platform, effectively cutting off Bing and other search engines from its data.
Reddit has implemented a new update prohibiting all web crawling, effectively banning search engines like Bing and DuckDuckGo from displaying Reddit content in their search results. This move comes after Reddit’s earlier decision to restrict access to its data for third-party apps without payment, sparking controversy and leading to protests from users and app developers. While Google continues to have access to Reddit data due to a $60 million annual agreement, other search engines are now excluded.
Google has secured an exclusive deal with Reddit, giving it access to recent content for its search engine. This means other search engines like Bing will only be able to access older Reddit posts, effectively limiting their ability to provide the most up-to-date information from the platform.
Microsoft has announced Bing Generative Search, a new feature that leverages AI to provide direct, comprehensive answers within the Bing search page. This AI-powered search experience aims to enhance the search process by offering summarized information, source citations, and traditional search results, all while maintaining traffic to websites.
Microsoft’s PC Manager application is prompting users to set Bing as their default search engine, claiming it will optimize performance. However, experts question this recommendation as the default search engine has no impact on PC performance or security. The move has been criticized as an attempt to manipulate users into using Bing, a practice commonly employed by tech companies. Microsoft has yet to address the issue.
