ChatGPT Releases Real-Time Internet Search in Latest Update

OpenAI's ChatGPT has officially launched an integrated web search feature after teasing about this feature in October, enabling real-time internet access for subscribers. Starting today, paid users and those on the SearchGPT waitlist can experience live web information within ChatGPT conversations, with free, enterprise, and educational users set to gain access in the coming weeks.

Rather than being a standalone product, the new search tool is built directly into ChatGPT’s interface, dynamically pulling relevant web results as needed. Users also have the option to manually initiate searches, positioning ChatGPT to compete with Microsoft’s Copilot and Google Gemini, which both feature live internet access.

In a recent demo, ChatGPT’s search lead Adam Fry demonstrated the new feature by querying Apple’s stock performance and related news, which generated a clickable stock chart and a list of news articles with citations. For local recommendations, Fry searched for Italian restaurants in San Francisco, which returned a map with suggested locations. Follow-up questions allowed Fry to narrow results, such as finding restaurants with a casual vibe.

The feature, accessible across all ChatGPT platforms (iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows), combines Microsoft Bing and other search technologies. OpenAI notes that the web search relies on a specialized version of GPT-4. Initially introduced as SearchGPT to 10,000 testers in July, the feature highlights OpenAI’s intent to attract top talent from competitors like Google to enhance its search capabilities.

Source: Kylie Robison / The Verge