What is the best AI search engine?

What is an AI search engine?

An AI search engine is a modern form of web and information search based on artificial intelligence (AI). In contrast to traditional search systems, AI search engines understand natural language, analyze correlations and provide not only links but also directly usable answers. Popular representatives such as Perplexity, searchGPT or Google Gemini combine search algorithms with generative AI to answer complex questions efficiently.

How do AI search engines work?

AI search engines like searchit use a variety of advanced technologies:

• Semantic search: The search engine understands the meaning of the terms and the context of the question.
• Topic modeling: Content is clustered thematically to deliver more relevant results.
• Word embeddings: Words are converted into vectors in order to recognize similarities and connections.
• Entity extraction: Names, locations, dates and other information are precisely identified.
• Classification: Content is categorized automatically.
• Generative AI: With generative AI, the search is dialog-based, the user can interact with a chatbot and ask for specific information.

Advantages of AI search engines

Why use an AI search engine? The advantages are obvious:

• Natural language input: Users ask questions in the same way they would speak to a person.
• Chatbot integration: Interactive tools such as ChatGPT or Perplexity enable dialogs instead of simple results pages.
• Direct answers instead of links: The search engine provides specific information – without you having to click through countless pages.
• Personalized results: The answers are customized according to the user’s interests.
• Greater relevance and accuracy: AI provides a better user experience through deeper text understanding.

Comparison: classic vs. generative search engines

Tips for choosing an AI search engine

It is particularly worthwhile for companies to integrate their own AI search engine or an internal AI search tool. But what should you look out for?

1. Performance: How many data sources can the system process?
2. Scalability: Does the search solution grow with the requirements?
3. Speed and efficiency: Are answers available in seconds?
4. Accuracy and relevance: Are meaningful results delivered?
5. Customizability: Is the search engine customizable?
6. Costs: Are there transparent pricing models?
7. Data protection and security: Does the system meet GDPR requirements?
8. Integrability: Can the solution be easily integrated into existing tools?

List of the best AI search engines in 2025

Here are the current leading tools in the field of AI Search:

1. Perplexity AI: An AI search engine that combines generative AI with precise source information. Ideal for research, studies, complex questions.
2. SearchGPT: Utilizes the power of ChatGPT to search for information. Perfect for interactive queries with high relevance.
3. Google Gemini: Google’s answer to the AI revolution. Powerful, integrated into many products. Combines classic search with AI functions.

AI search engine or enterprise search? The difference.

AI search engines such as Perplexity or Google Gemini are ideal for searching publicly available information from the web – fast, dialog-based and often surprisingly precise. But as soon as it comes to internal company data, they come up against clear limits: Access controls, data protection requirements and the large number of internal data sources cannot be covered by classic AI search engines.

This is where enterprise search comes in. Solutions such as searchit combine the advantages of modern AI technology – such as semantic search, intelligent clustering algorithms or chatbot integration – with the ability to make structured and unstructured data securely and efficiently accessible within a company. This means that employees don’t just find anything, they find the right thing – directly from emails, CRM, DMS or the intranet.