Evan Vucci/AP
- OpenAI is targeting some Google's employees, The Verge reported.
- Sam Altman's company is trying to poach Googlers for a ChatGPT search engine, per the report.
- Big Tech is engaged a fierce competition to acquire and retain top AI talent.
OpenAI appears to be going after some Google employees.
The Verge reported that the company behind ChatGPT has been trying to poach Googlers to work on its team developing a search engine for the chatbot.
In February, The Information reported that OpenAI was developing a web search feature that could put the company into more direct competition with Google Search. The new tool will reportedly partly rely on Microsoft's Bing search engine.
OpenAI's search product will function as a feature for ChatGPT that can browse the web and cite sources in its responses, according to a recent report from Bloomberg. The tool will allow users to ask questions and receive answers sourced from across the internet.
Google's future plans in the AI field include large investments and a generative AI search engine.
OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, made outside normal working hours.
Big Tech is engaged in an intense battle for top AI talent as rival companies rush to launch similar AI-powered products. Some of the industry's biggest names have even been pitching in on efforts to acquire and retain top talent.
Rival companies are fighting over a small pool of advanced AI researchers and engineers. As demand escalates, candidates with the necessary expertise can demand — and get — huge benefits and pay packages.
Google, an AI pioneer, has become a prime target for rivals looking to poach experts because it has some of the sector's top researchers.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has reportedly been writing personal emails to AI researchers at Google's DeepMind in an attempt to recruit them.