OpenAI has officially introduced ChatGPT Search, a new feature designed to provide users with real-time, accurate answers. Launched as an evolution of the previous SearchGPT prototype, ChatGPT Search is integrated directly within OpenAI’s ChatGPT platform and delivers timely responses to user queries by pulling from a variety of online sources.
The search tool is powered by a specialized version of OpenAI’s GPT-4 model and is capable of retrieving live data, such as news updates, sports scores, stock market information, and more. ChatGPT Search also includes links to original sources, allowing users to further refine their searches or ask follow-up questions for more context on any topic. Users can manually enable the web search feature or rely on ChatGPT to initiate a search based on the query.
Attribution to news sites and content publishers is clearly displayed in both in-line responses and sidebars, especially when data is drawn from reputable sources with which OpenAI has licensing agreements. For instance, if you inquire about weekend events in a city, ChatGPT Search might pull details from local news outlets, while a follow-up request for restaurant recommendations would display dining options sourced locally. Queries related to specific topics, such as election results, will reference credible sources like AP and Reuters.
Initially, ChatGPT Search is available to ChatGPT Plus and Team users on both web and mobile. OpenAI plans to expand access to its enterprise and education clients soon, followed by free-tier users in the near future. The company also launched a browser extension for Chrome, making ChatGPT Search the default search engine for users who install it.
Beyond general searches, OpenAI has plans to expand the utility of ChatGPT Search, particularly in domains such as shopping and travel, aiming to incorporate more sophisticated “reasoning” capabilities to support complex inquiries. ChatGPT Search will eventually be included in OpenAI’s Advanced Voice Mode, and it will also be accessible to logged-out users of ChatGPT.
This launch, however, has raised concerns among publishers who fear that AI-generated overviews may reduce site traffic by summarizing content without prompting users to visit the original pages. OpenAI states it has taken publisher feedback into account, refining how ChatGPT Search identifies relevant articles, selects quotation length, and decides on the length of summaries provided.
