ChatGPT is coming to TikTok. The app known for its short-form videos is testing AI-generated search results that are powered by OpenAI‘s groundbreaking chatbot.
According to The Verge, the AI-powered “search highlights” have been spotted on “some results pages.” ChatGPT’s results appear in the form of a drop-down menu, which can be expanded for more information.
TikTok has not revealed if and when it plans on expanding search highlights to all users. The app has not yet offered a comment on The Verge‘s report.
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The partnership between TikTok and OpenAI unites two companies that have their sights set on Google’s once-unparalleled search empire. Two years ago, studies suggested that TikTok had become a viable competitor in the realm of search, especially among Gen Z. By 2023, some of that momentum dissipated. Research from CivicScience suggested that TikTok users were less interested in the platform’s search features than they had been the previous year.
TikTok is incentivized to maintain interest in its search bar, since it has invested in products that turn that feature into a viable revenue stream. Search ads are nearing their one-year anniversary on the platform, though the rollout has been gradual.
The firm that teamed up with TikTok to power the search highlights has its own ambitions in that area. In a sense, ChatGPT is a glorified search engine, and OpenAI has recently made moves that capitalize on that idea. According to Bloomberg, the Microsoft-backed company is preparing to launch a search engine that would offer a ChatGPT-provided list of citable sources. OpenAI has denied rumors that such a service is nearing its launch date, but it has poached Google employees and registered the search.chatgpt.com domain.
TikTok’s pact with OpenAI shows that the ByteDance-owned app is willing to embrace the ChatGPTs of the world, but TikTok is showing caution as it enters into the AI gold rush. It recently announced that it would automatically apply labels to AI-generated content, and it has encouraged other social platforms to adopt the same standards.
