Reports suggest that Meta may be developing its own search tool for Meta AI, aiming to reduce its dependence on Google and Bing for web searches within its AI chatbot. This move could enhance Meta’s data-gathering capabilities, supporting its ambitions to build real-time AI-driven insights across its platforms—particularly valuable for Threads, where up-to-date information on evolving news stories could boost engagement.
When Meta launched its Meta AI chatbot last September, it highlighted a partnership with Bing to provide real-time information in responses, linking directly to Bing search results. By April, Meta extended this functionality with Google, also linking to Google search replies for expanded responses.
However, according to The Information, Meta is now exploring the creation of its own web crawler to power these searches independently, moving away from reliance on external search providers like Microsoft and Google. This would be no small feat, as Meta would need a complex search system, similar to Google’s or Bing’s, to crawl the web effectively.
Meta’s recent increase in crawler activity suggests it could be ramping up data collection for this project. This shift might allow Meta to strengthen its data sources for AI model training and reduce reliance on competitors in the generative AI race. While this doesn’t necessarily indicate a direct bid to rival Google and Bing as a standalone search engine, it’s likely part of a broader strategy to leverage and optimize Meta’s data resources.
Given the competitive landscape in AI, it’s unsurprising that Meta is exploring ways to rely less on partnerships that could be at risk as AI development heats up. If Meta succeeds, this approach could give it greater autonomy in providing robust, real-time responses within its AI ecosystem.