OpenAI has officially launched ChatGPT Search, an advanced search tool integrated into its ChatGPT platform. This new feature builds on the company’s initial SearchGPT prototype, released earlier this year, and marks a significant push into the search engine market. Positioned as a competitor to Google, ChatGPT Search is designed to deliver timely, relevant answers to users’ questions by pulling information from a wide array of online sources in real-time.
ChatGPT Search is powered by a refined version of OpenAI’s GPT-4o model, which has been optimized for accuracy and relevance. By utilizing real-time web searches, it provides up-to-date information such as sports scores, news headlines, stock updates, and more. Users can expect responses enriched with photos, summaries, and direct links to primary sources, enabling in-depth follow-up questions within a single conversation. The search tool is designed to automatically activate web searches when appropriate based on user inquiries, though users can manually initiate searches using the new web search icon within the ChatGPT interface.
The platform’s integration of both in-line and sidebar attributions allows users to see the origins of sourced information. OpenAI has collaborated with various publishers and data providers, establishing licensing agreements to ensure that articles and data are appropriately attributed. For example, a search for events in San Francisco would yield results compiled from local news sites, while a query about dining options might present recommendations sourced from restaurant directories. OpenAI has even introduced a browser extension that allows users to set ChatGPT Search as the default search engine in Chrome, providing seamless accessibility to the new feature.
Looking forward, OpenAI has announced plans to continually enhance ChatGPT Search. Future updates will target areas like shopping and travel, leveraging the company’s o1 “reasoning” models to support deeper and more personalized research. Additionally, ChatGPT Search will soon be integrated with OpenAI’s Advanced Voice Mode feature and will eventually be accessible to logged-out users, expanding its reach and functionality.
Initially, access to ChatGPT Search is exclusive to ChatGPT Plus and Team users on both mobile and desktop platforms. OpenAI’s enterprise and educational clients will gain access in the coming weeks, with free users expected to follow later. However, not all feedback has been positive, as some publishers have voiced concerns that AI-generated overviews, like those generated by ChatGPT Search and Google’s AI Overviews, could potentially harm website traffic by diminishing the visibility of article links. Research has indicated that these types of AI summaries may reduce publisher traffic by approximately 25% due to the reduced emphasis on direct article links.
OpenAI claims it has taken these concerns seriously, incorporating feedback from publisher partners to improve the way ChatGPT Search identifies relevant articles, determines the ideal summary length, and includes quotations from the content. The company remains committed to evolving ChatGPT Search to support informed, accessible online research, further establishing OpenAI as a formidable player in the real-time information retrieval space.
