Official announcements from Google or reputable tech news outlets

OpenAI Launches ChatGPT Search, Challenging Google with Real-Time Web Access

Oct 31, 2024, 05:14 PM

OpenAI has officially launched ChatGPT Search, a new feature within its AI chatbot that enables access to real-time information from the internet. The feature allows users to obtain up-to-date responses on topics such as news, sports scores, stock prices, and more, with fast response times. The search functionality is integrated into both desktop and mobile applications, and users can trigger web searches manually via the web search icon on chat.openai.com. The model powering this feature is a fine-tuned version of GPT-4o, leveraging third-party search providers and content from partners, including the Wall Street Journal. OpenAI has stated that election-related queries will be directed to reliable sources like the Associated Press and Reuters. Currently rolling out to Plus and Teams subscribers, the functionality will become available to free users over the coming months. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman remarked that search is his favorite feature since the original launch and that it has probably doubled his usage recently. The introduction of ChatGPT Search positions the AI assistant as a potential competitor to traditional search engines like Google, offering an integrated, ad-free search experience directly within the ChatGPT interface to its 250 million users.