Google executive says company snubbed OpenAI bid for search tie-up

WASHINGTON: Alphabet's Google shot down a bid by OpenAI to use its search technology within ChatGPT, an OpenAI executive testified on Tuesday at Google's antitrust trial in Washington.

OpenAI reached out to Google after experiencing issues with its own search provider, ChatGPT head of product Nick Turley said, without naming the provider. ChatGPT uses technology from Microsoft's search engine, Bing.

"We believe having multiple partners, and in particular Google's API, would enable us to provide a better product to users," OpenAI told Google, according to an email shown at trial.


OpenAI first reached out in July, and Google declined the request in August, saying it would involve too many competitors, according to the email. "We have no partnership with Google today," Turley said.

The US Department of Justice and a broad coalition of state attorneys general are seeking an order from a judge in Washington that would require Google to sell its Chrome browser and take other measures. They hope to end what the judge found was Google's monopoly in online search and related advertising.

The DOJ's proposal to make Google share search data with competitors as one means of restoring competition would help accelerate efforts to improve ChatGPT, Turley said.