OpenAI has launched ChatGPT Search, an AI-powered search engine set to compete seriously with Google and Microsoft Bing.
OpenAI has introduced a new feature called ChatGPT Search, part of its renowned generative AI assistant. This feature promises to give users real-time updates on sports scores, stock quotes, news, weather, and more. It leverages real-time web search and collaborates with various news and data providers to deliver up-to-the-minute information.
ChatGPT can automatically decide to search the web based on your query, or you can manually initiate a search by clicking the web search icon.
OpenAI’s announcement blog wrote:
ChatGPT can now search the web in a much better way than before. You can get fast, timely answers with links to relevant web sources, which you would have previously needed to go to a search engine for. This blends the benefits of a natural language interface with the value of up-to-date sports scores, news, stock quotes, and more.”
OpenAI stresses that users can delve deeper with follow-up questions, and ChatGPT will consider the context of their conversation to provide a more accurate answer. Chats now feature links to sources, such as news articles and blog posts, allowing users to explore further. Users can click the Sources button below the response to open a sidebar with the references.
OpenAI detailed that the search model behind ChatGPT Search is a refined version of GPT-4o, enhanced through advanced synthetic data generation techniques, including distilling outputs from OpenAI o1-preview. ChatGPT Search utilises third-party search providers and content directly from its partners to deliver the information users seek.
Search will be accessible at chatgpt.com (opens in a new window) and on ChatGPT’s desktop and mobile apps. The feature is available today for all ChatGPT Plus and Team users and those on the SearchGPT waitlist. Enterprise and Edu users will gain access in the next few weeks, and it will gradually roll out to Free users over the coming months.
What Could ChatGPT Search’s Arrival Mean For The Traditional Search Engine Market?
The launch of ChatGPT’s Search feature potentially illustrates a momentous shift in the search engine space, positioning conversational AI as a central tool for gathering information. While Google Bard and Microsoft Copilot have been integrated into both companies’ respective search engines, SearchGPT, effectively built from the ground up as an AI-driven search engine, affords a distinct advantage.
Unlike traditional search engines, OpenAI outlines that ChatGPT Search aims to deliver concise, conversational responses rather than lists of links, granting users a streamlined and interactive way to access information. This feature also allows users to interrogate real-time data on the web directly within ChatGPT. This, in theory, could reimagine search functionality through such a deeply integrated search experience.
With SearchGPT embedded into ChatGPT, OpenAI will likely challenge significant players like Google and Bing. For example, it could push them to innovate in natural language processing and real-time data retrieval.
Moreover, this development may dictate how businesses (including publishers) optimise content for discovery in conversational formats, potentially encouraging discussions around new SEO strategies and content adaptations.
OpenAI Launches Public Beta of Realtime API
Last month, OpenAI launched its Realtime API in public beta, allowing developers to build voice assistants capable of communicating more naturally with users.
OpenAI’s new Realtime API introduces low-latency, multimodal, and speech-to-speech capabilities comparable to ChatGPT’s Advanced Voice Mode.
OpenAI also announced via its online newsroom the addition of audio input and output for the Chat Completions API, designed for applications that don’t require instant response times.
“From language apps and educational software to customer support experiences, developers have already been leveraging voice experiences to connect with their users,” OpenAI wrote in a blog. “Now, with the Realtime API and soon with audio in the Chat Completions API, developers no longer have to stitch together multiple models to power these experiences. Instead, you can build natural conversational experiences with a single API call.”
