On Thursday, OpenAI introduced a ChatGPT-powered search engine that could put the AI startup in direct competition with Google to take on Google’s decades-long dominance of web search.
The company said that the ChatGPT Search upgrade will allow users to access “fast, timely answers with links to relevant web sources,” which was previously only accessible by navigating to the search engine. The upgrades will allow the chatbot to provide real-time information from across the web.
ChatGPT’s homepage can now also offer direct tabs to sourced material on various topics, such as weather forecasts, stock prices, sports scores, and breaking news.
These sources would be links to news and data providers that the company has partnered up with, including France’s Le Monde, Germany’s Axel Springer, and the UK’s Financial Times.
OpenAI has also mentioned that any website or publisher can opt-in to appear in ChatGPT’s search results, as they continue to seek feedback from users and content creators to refine the system.
It is said that for now, the feature would not include advertising, providing cleaner results than Google.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has said that Search is his “favorite feature we have launched.” He also revealed on Reddit, “I find it to be a way faster/easier way to get the information I’m looking for.”
The company revealed in the official blog that the Search will be available at chatgpt.com along with desktop and mobile apps. ChatGPT Plus and Team users, as well as SearchGPT waitlist users, already have access to the feature, but Enterprise and Edu users will need to wait for the next few weeks.
ChatGPT’s search engine will become available to all free users in the coming months.
