After much speculation over the past year, OpenAI is finally taking on Google and Microsoft Bing with the addition of search functionality in ChatGPT. The new search feature is powered by the GPT-4o model and is a more evolved version of the SearchGPT prototype unveiled by the company earlier this year.
The ChatGPT search feature is triggered by default based on what the user is searching for. There is also an option to manually activate the search functionality by clicking on the new web search icon, located just adjacent to the attachment icon.
ChatGPT Search now includes links to original sources such as news articles and blog posts. Additionally, clicking the “sources” button opens a full-fledged sidebar, giving users a complete list of citations behind the answer.
OpenAI is further enhancing the search experience by introducing new visual designs for topics like weather, stocks, sports, news, and maps. For example, a search about the weather in New York brings up an interactive visual layout displaying weather conditions for each day of the week.
OpenAI says ChatGPT Search shares “dissociated search queries” with third-party search providers like Bing to deliver relevant responses to users. ChatGPT also shares users’ IP addresses with third-party search providers to improve the ‘accuracy’ of search results.
The new ChatGPT search functionality comes as other AI companies shift their focus to the field. Meta, for example, is reportedly developing its own search engine to provide up-to-date answers to Meta AI users. Meanwhile, Google recently expanded its AI overviews feature to more than 100 countries.
How to start using ChatGPT Search?
OpenAI says ChatGPT Search is rolling out first to its ChatGPT Plus and Teams subscribers, with access for enterprise and education customers to follow in the “coming weeks.” Meanwhile, free ChatGPT users will gain access to the new feature over the coming months. The feature will be available across the ChatGPT website and mobile and desktop apps.
The Microsoft-backed AI company also stated that it plans to expand the search feature to its Advanced Voice mode and even to logged-out users in the future. Additionally, OpenAI aims to further improve the search function in areas like shopping and travel by leveraging its o-1 reasoning models.