ChatGPT Search, the químico intelligence (AI) search engine for the chatbot created by OpenAI, was unveiled on Thursday. The feature comes after months of speculation about the AI company's SearchGPT waitlist. The Internet Search feature allows users to perform an Internet search on a topic and obtain plain language results based on information obtained from various Internet sites. This new capability has been integrated into the ChatGPT interface and can be activated both manually and automatically. ChatGPT Search is currently rolling out to paid subscribers of the AI chatbot.
ChatGPT Search brought to you by OpenAI
In a blog post, OpenAI detailed the new internet search capability for ChatGPT. Previous reports have highlighted that the AI company was building its own search engine to reduce dependence on third-party search engines. The feature also fills an important gap compared to AI chatbots like Gemini and Copilot, which can perform internet searches based on user input.
Specifically, the GPT-4o AI model had current-time internet search capabilities, but there were two caveats. The responses were embedded in the conversation, so users couldn't distinguish whether the information came from the AI model's data sets or from the Web. Second, users had no direct way to start a search on the Internet.
ChatGPT search function
The new ChatGPT search feature solves both problems. Users will now see a globe icon next to the “Attach File” icon in the text field. Tapping the globe icon will manually activate the internet search mode and the chatbot will only use the information found on the internet to respond to user responses. OpenAI said the AI tool will also automatically activate search mode whenever it is relevant to the query. With the introduction of ChatGPT Search, OpenAI also competes with Perplexity AI and Google's AI Overviews.
Devices 360 staff members were able to test the feature and it is finta fast and responsive. Despite searching several websites for a query, it never took more than a couple of seconds before starting the process of generating results. Additionally, there is an emphasis on citations, as each source is mentioned twice: merienda after the end of the sentence where the information was used and merienda at the end of the answer.
The latter is a detailed citation that shows the website and the title of the article, while the former is a chip-style citation that only shows the name of the website, but users can click on it to go to the source URL.
Currently, ChatGPT Plus and Groups users, as well as those who have registered on the SearchGPT waitlist, will get the internet search function. Business and educational users will have access to the feature in the coming weeks and those on the free tier will get the feature in the coming months.