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OpenAI has introduced a powerful new search feature to ChatGPT, providing real-time insights and web-based information within its chatbot interface. Announced on October 31, the new feature is expected to enhance user experience significantly by giving ChatGPT the ability to access up-to-the-minute information from the web. This upgrade positions OpenAI as a strong competitor to search giant's Google and Bing, as well as emerging AI search services like Perplexity, backed by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and semiconductor giant Nvidia.
Previously, ChatGPT operated as a standalone AI language model without live internet access, which meant its responses were based solely on a pre-set knowledge base. Now, the new search feature empowers ChatGPT to deliver fast, accurate, and relevant web-sourced information in real-time. OpenAI has confirmed that the model is fine-tuned to determine when a query requires real-time information and will autonomously activate its search capabilities to gather web-based insights when necessary.
“ChatGPT search leverages third-party search providers, as well as content provided directly by our partners, to provide the information users are looking for,” OpenAI noted in its blog post. This feature will initially be available to ChatGPT Plus and Team subscribers, with plans for a gradual rollout to free users over the coming months. In addition, enterprise and educational clients can expect access to this functionality in the near future.
OpenAI’s search model builds on its GPT-4o engine, and the company has entered content partnerships with several prominent publishers, including Condé Nast, Time magazine, the Financial Times, Axel Springer, Le Monde, and Prisa Media. OpenAI says these partnerships have provided valuable insights that helped shape the search function. The company emphasized its collaboration with the news industry, giving publishers control over whether their content appears in ChatGPT search results.
The use of this search function is set to make ChatGPT a more sophisticated application particularly for professionals, students, and enterprises that need up-to-date data in their operations. Although OpenAI has developed a SearchGPT prototype, an AI-integrated search tool in July, this new feature highlights the most significant search advancement within the centralized Chatbot interface.
On the other hand, OpenAI in the beginning of October has also raised $6.6 billion which increased its valuation to roughly $157 billion and made it the most valuable private IT company worldwide. Given such development, OpenAI appears to be in the right position to change the status quo of AI-enabled search technologies and bring about further rivalry to the industry which is currently led by Google and Microsoft.
