Brave, a privacy-oriented search engine, has announced a redesign of its answer engine to provide AI-generated synthesized responses. This new functionality, called “Answer with AI,” is now accessible to users worldwide. This feature delivers well-organized answers to queries such as “Individuals who have walked on the moon,” “Actors who have portrayed Batman,” or “Methods for descaling a Nespresso Pixie.” Additionally, it can summarize restaurant reviews and highlight key points about a restaurant.

In March 2023, the company introduced an AI-driven summarization capability. The startup described its latest AI-enhanced search as a significant improvement over that. Brave explained that for informational queries like the examples mentioned above, the system will automatically use AI to provide concise information. For other queries, users can activate an AI search manually.

The company, which transitioned to utilizing its own search index in the previous year, stated that its “Answer with AI” functionality leverages a blend of large language models (LLMs) and trustworthy data. Brave explained that it utilizes Mixtral 8x7B and Mistral 7B as primary models, alongside custom transformer models for semantic matching and providing answers.

Several reports have highlighted concerns about the potential significant impacts of AI-powered search on the future of the internet. Brave, which handles over 10 billion queries annually, acknowledged that while users increasingly desire AI-enhanced responses and new ways to consume content, this trend could negatively affect web publishers.

Brave emphasized that this challenge is not unique to their search platform but is a common issue faced by most AI-driven answer engines and chatbots, whether premium or open. As both a browser and a search engine, Brave is mindful of these challenges. Consequently, the company plans to closely monitor and assess the impact of AI-generated content on website traffic, aiming to address any disruptions that may arise from declines in visits.

Similarly, major search engines like Google and Bing have also explored AI-powered answers through various experiments. Additionally, startups like Perplexity and You.com are competing to become the preferred answer engine for users.