OpenAI debuted a new prototype search engine on Thursday. The feature, called SearchGPT, could pose a direct threat to Google's longstanding search dominance.

Microsoft-backed (MSFT) OpenAI says SearchGPT will be available to a small group of users and publishers as it develops the software and collects feedback. The company is positioning its offering as a new means of searching the web.

"Getting answers on the web can take a lot of effort, often requiring multiple attempts to get relevant results. We believe that by enhancing the conversational capabilities of our models with real-time information from the web, finding what you’re looking for can be faster and easier," the company said in a blog post announcing the search engine.

Shares of Google parent Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL) were off slightly following the announcement.