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TL;DR
- OpenAI has now launched its Google Search competitor.
- Instead of launching a separate product, web search has been integrated into ChatGPT.
- ChatGPT will search the web based on what you ask, but users can also choose to search manually.
Earlier today, we reported that ChatGPT on the web now offers search suggestions when you start typing queries. We mentioned that this change could be in preparation for a wider rollout of SearchGPT. OpenAI has now integrated that web search functionality into ChatGPT, allowing it to better compete against search engines like Google Search and Microsoft Bing.
OpenAI has officially announced the launch of ChatGPT Search. The new AI-powered feature allows ChatGPT to serve up answers with links to relevant web sources. Depending on their queries, users will be able to get up-to-the-minute sports scores, news, stock quotes, and more from news and data providers OpenAI has partnered with. However, users will also be able to search manually if they choose by clicking the web search icon.
For context, the company launched a prototype of its would-be search engine, SearchGPT, back in July. OpenAI described the prototype as a way to “search in a more natural, intuitive way.” It was initially available to 10,000 beta testers, but has now been added to the company’s chatbot. As the firm explains, the search function “is a fine-tuned version of GPT-4o.”
Going forward, chats will now include links to news articles and posts. Additionally, there will be a “Sources” button you can click to open up a sidebar that presents the references used for the response. OpenAI adds that it will keep improving search, particularly in areas like shopping and travel. To do so, it plans to “leverage the reasoning capabilities of the OpenAI o1 series to do deeper research.”
This move by OpenAI could have larger implications for Google’s dominance in the search engine space. Alphabet has long been concerned about ChatGPT potentially replacing Google Search as most people’s go to search engine.
The new web search functionality will be available on all ChatGPT platforms including web, iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows. It appears only ChatGPT Plus, Team users, and anyone on the SearchGPT waitlist list will have access starting today. If you’re an Enterprise or Edu user, you’ll have to wait a few weeks. For free users, don’t expect to get access anytime soon; it’s expected to arrive in the coming months.