Meta’s Next Move: Building an AI Search Engine to Rival Google

Google may soon face some competition, with Meta reportedly developing its own search engine index for its AI chatbot. This move is a big step toward reducing its reliance on search engines like Google for AI-generated summaries of current events.
Keep reading for what we know so far about Meta’s evolving strategy and what it could mean for the future of search.

The role of Meta-ExternalAgent

Since this summer (or possibly earlier), Meta has been actively crawling the web using Meta-ExternalAgent, downloading training data for its AI models and improving its products by indexing content directly. This bot has raised red flags in online forums due to its aggressive crawling behavior. A user on Hacker News reported receiving 50,000 hits from the bot, and discussions in the WebmasterWorld forum mentioned issues with the bot failing to respect robots.txt files.
The Verge has reported these summaries are integrated into Meta’s AI chatbot, an evolving tool designed to provide quick, accurate responses to user queries. A screenshot shared by Search Engine Journal demonstrates what Meta AI currently looks like utilizing Google results:

This move is underscored by Meta’s recent multi-year agreement with Reuters, allowing their chatbot to incorporate Reuters’ news articles directly into its responses.
By developing its own index, Meta could streamline how its AI processes and delivers information.

Could Meta take on Google?

While it’s too early to say if Meta could ever dethrone Google, Facebook and Instagram’s parent company is certainly making the right moves to head in that direction. Meta’s approach aligns with the overarching trend of integrating AI with search to provide a more conversational and intuitive user experience.
For now, Meta is focused on enhancing its chatbot capabilities, leveraging its search index to deliver timely and accurate answers. However, Meta AI could eventually evolve into a fully-fledged search engine, influencing how users interact with information online.

Implications for the search landscape

Meta’s entrance into search has significant implications for the search landscape. If the tech giant can successfully establish its own search ecosystem, it could lead to increased competition and innovation in a space that has long been dominated by Google. This could also introduce new challenges for website owners, particularly in optimizing for Meta’s crawling and ranking criteria.
Meta’s ambitions underscore the evolving role of AI in shaping the future of search. As businesses and marketers, staying ahead of these developments will be crucial in navigating the changing digital landscape.

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