Brave Search Introduces AI-Powered Chat Mode: Bridging the Gap Between Search and Conversation
Brave Search has launched a new AI-powered chat mode for its “Answer with AI” feature, enabling users to ask follow-up questions based on initial search queries. This innovation combines the strengths of traditional search engines with AI chat capabilities, offering a seamless transition between search and conversation. The feature is available globally to all Brave Search users for free, with reasonable usage limits. Powered by a combination of open-source and internal Large Language Models (LLMs), along with Brave Search results, the system aims to reduce AI hallucinations by grounding responses in real-time search data. Brave maintains its commitment to user privacy, with conversations remaining ephemeral and expiring after six hours. This development positions Brave Search as a unique player in the search engine market, offering a privacy-focused alternative to major competitors.
Introduction
Brave Search has taken a significant step forward in the evolution of search technology with the introduction of its new AI-powered chat mode for the “Answer with AI” feature ¹. This innovative addition aims to bridge the gap between traditional search engines and modern AI chat applications, offering users a seamless experience that combines the best of both worlds.
Technology and Functionality
The new chat mode is built upon a sophisticated technological foundation, leveraging a combination of open-source and internal Large Language Models (LLMs) alongside Brave Search results. This approach is designed to ground responses in real-time search data, significantly reducing the risk of AI hallucinations – a common problem in purely generative AI systems.
The system is engineered to automatically detect question-like queries, presenting users with an AI-generated summary accompanied by a chat bar. This interface allows users to seamlessly transition into a full chat experience for follow-up questions, effectively eliminating the need to choose between chat-first or search-first tools.
As stated by Brave, “This experience is powered by a combination of open and internal LLMs, plus Brave Search results. This allows Brave Search to ground responses in real-time search results, significantly reducing the chance of AI hallucinations.” ¹
User Experience and Interface
The user experience of Brave’s new chat mode is designed to be intuitive and seamless. When users enter a query, an AI-generated summary appears at the top of the search results page for most queries. Below this summary, a chat bar labeled “Ask a follow-up question” is displayed, inviting users to delve deeper into the topic.
Engaging with the chat bar opens a conversational experience that offers sources along the way, highlighting the origin of the information provided. This feature adapts based on whether the initial query is more suited to a straightforward search or a chat-style inquiry, ensuring that users receive the most appropriate form of response.
“Once you ask a follow-up question, you will enter a chat experience that offers sources along the way with each new question to highlight where the chatbot is getting the information.” ²
(New chat mode on Brave Search from ¹)
Privacy and Data Protection
In line with Brave’s core values, the new chat feature maintains a strong focus on user privacy. Unlike many competitors in the search engine market, Brave does not profile users or store search histories. The chat mode preserves all existing privacy protections from Brave Search and Answer with AI.
Conversations within the chat mode are designed to be ephemeral, expiring after six hours, and are not persisted or stored. Importantly, no user accounts are required for basic features, underscoring Brave’s commitment to privacy by default.
As Brave asserts, “The new chat feature has all the same privacy protections of Brave Search and its Answer with AI feature. Brave Search does not profile you or store your queries. The same is true when using chat mode in Answer with AI: these conversations are ephemeral, meaning they’re not persisted or stored.” ¹
Competitive Landscape and Unique Features
Brave’s approach to integrating chat functionality into its search engine sets it apart from major competitors like Google, Microsoft, and ChatGPT. While Google offers “AI Overviews,” it does not provide the capability for follow-up questions based on initial queries. Brave’s solution adapts to each query type automatically, offering the benefits of both traditional search and chat-based queries.
The company emphasizes its strong privacy standards compared to major competitors and its use of an independent web index rather than relying on Big Tech providers. This unique positioning allows Brave to offer a privacy-focused alternative in the search engine market.
Brave states, “Unlike Big Tech search engines, Brave Search does not profile its users; unlike supposedly alternative engines, Brave Search serves results from a truly independent index of the Web. This means Brave Search can offer both industry-leading privacy and an effective counter to the bias and censorship prevalent in Big Tech’s personalization.” ¹
Accessibility and Future Plans
The new chat mode is accessible to all Brave Search users, regardless of the browser they’re using. Users can access it by setting Brave Search as their default search engine or by visiting https://search.brave.com. This universal accessibility ensures that the feature is available to a wide audience.
Looking ahead, Brave has announced plans to integrate chat saving capabilities with its Leo AI assistant in the future, potentially offering users more options for managing their search and chat interactions.
Brave continues to experience significant growth, serving over 36 million queries daily and over 1 billion queries each month. As stated by the company, “Brave Search is the fastest growing independent search engine since Bing. … Brave Search continues to reach new all-time highs, serving more than 36 million queries per day (and more than 1 billion queries each month).”
Conclusion
Brave Search’s introduction of the AI-powered chat mode for its “Answer with AI” feature represents a significant advancement in search technology. By combining the strengths of traditional search engines with the conversational capabilities of AI chat applications, Brave offers users a unique and privacy-focused search experience. This innovative feature is provided free of charge to all users, making it accessible to a wide audience. As the search engine landscape continues to evolve, Brave’s innovative approach positions it as a compelling alternative to established players, particularly for users concerned about privacy and data protection.
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