عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Technology

National Switchboard Launched to Improve Internet Quality in Saudi Arabia

Saudi men explore social media on their mobile devices as they sit at a cafe in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Reuters
Saudi men explore social media on their mobile devices as they sit at a cafe in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Reuters
TT
20
TT

National Switchboard Launched to Improve Internet Quality in Saudi Arabia

Saudi men explore social media on their mobile devices as they sit at a cafe in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Reuters
Saudi men explore social media on their mobile devices as they sit at a cafe in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Reuters

Saudi Minister of Communications and Information Technology Abdullah bin Amer Al-Sawah launched in Riyadh on Wednesday a pioneering national initiative to improve the quality of internet services in the Kingdom, reported the Saudi Press Agency.

The "National Internet Switchboard" is part of a package to implement the National Transformation Program 2020 in order to achieve the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

This initiative aims at activating digital services and strengthening information security in the Kingdom, under the umbrella of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and in participation of the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), the communications and information technology commission (CITC) and telecom partners.

The launch was attended by KACST President Prince Dr. Turki bin Saud bin Mohammed and a number of senior officials.

Most Viewed

 
Technology

ChatGPT Adds Shopping Help, Intensifying Google Rivalry

FILED - 18 April 2023, Berlin: On the monitor of a cell phone you can see the ChatGPT logo. Photo: Hannes P Albert/dpa
FILED - 18 April 2023, Berlin: On the monitor of a cell phone you can see the ChatGPT logo. Photo: Hannes P Albert/dpa
TT
20
TT

ChatGPT Adds Shopping Help, Intensifying Google Rivalry

FILED - 18 April 2023, Berlin: On the monitor of a cell phone you can see the ChatGPT logo. Photo: Hannes P Albert/dpa
FILED - 18 April 2023, Berlin: On the monitor of a cell phone you can see the ChatGPT logo. Photo: Hannes P Albert/dpa

OpenAI announced Monday that ChatGPT is now helping users find products online, enhancing its challenge to Google amid regulatory pressure on the search giant's market dominance.

The new shopping capability further blurs the line between AI chatbots and search engines, signaling OpenAI's ambition to compete with Google in a market the latter has controlled for decades.

"Search has become one of our most popular and fastest growing features, with over 1 billion web searches just in the past week," the San Francisco-based company said in a post on X.

Rolled out on Monday, the update allows shoppers to find and compare items through natural conversation, then connect directly to merchants for purchases.

"Instead of scrolling through pages of results, you can simply start a conversation," OpenAI's post said, adding that users could also ask follow-up questions or compare products.

ChatGPT's shopping feature initially focuses on fashion, beauty, and home electronics categories. Product recommendations are personalized and come from the web, not advertisements, OpenAI said.

To counter increasing competition from AI chatbots, Google has integrated its own Gemini assistant into search results, providing AI-generated answers above traditional website links.

The rivalry intensified last week when an OpenAI executive testified the company would consider purchasing Chrome if Google were forced to sell the browser as part of an ongoing US antitrust case.