OpenAI Launches ChatGPT Search Featuring GPT-4o Technology

OpenAI has launched ChatGPT Search, a new feature that enhances its popular ChatGPT platform by providing real-time search capabilities. Using GPT-4o model, this tool gives quick answers from the internet for questions relating to sports results, stock market, news, weather and other information.

The move is the latest by OpenAI as it seeks to challenge search engine giants such as Google and Microsoft’s Bing.

OpenAI Launches ChatGPT Search

OpenAI’s ChatGPT Search include an integrated search that provides a real time information of various topics of interest to the user. Unlike the previous versions this feature will not only search from a wide range of sources but also it will present the most recent information to the users’ search terms. With ChatGPT Search, users can obtain real-time information, for example, sports results or stock developments.

Users can also turn on the web search by themselves by tapping on the web search button, which gives users more choices in obtaining information.

This feature uses OpenAI’s GPT-4o model, a further enhanced version to understand and respond to questions more effectively. Through integrating information from several web platforms, ChatGPT Search can provide comprehensive answers with further links to the primary sources. “Search is probably my favorite of the things that we have launched,” said OpenAI CEO Sam Altman about X, saying that it is friendly to a conversation.

Partnerships with News Publishers for Credible Sourcing

To enhance the credibility and accuracy of the information provided, OpenAI has partnered with leading news publishers and data providers. Among these collaborators are the Associated Press, Reuters, Condé Nast, Hearst, Dotdash Meredith, Financial Times, and News Corp. 

These partnerships enable ChatGPT Search to source information from reputable publications, especially for news-related or election-based queries.

OpenAI has taken steps to address concerns from publishers who worry about traffic loss due to AI-generated overviews. The company says it has incorporated feedback from these partners to refine how articles are selected and summarized. Responses include in-line and sidebar attribution, allowing users to click on source links directly. This approach aims to balance providing quick answers while maintaining transparency and supporting traffic to original publishers.

Availability for ChatGPT Users and Future Rollouts

Initially, ChatGPT Search will be available to ChatGPT Plus and Team users on both web and mobile platforms. OpenAI plans to extend access to ChatGPT Enterprise and educational users in the coming weeks, with free-tier users expected to gain access in the coming months.

OpenAI has also hinted at plans to incorporate ChatGPT Search into its Advanced Voice Mode, allowing users to conduct real-time searches through voice commands.

The company has expressed a commitment to enhancing the search experience, especially in areas like shopping and travel, by leveraging its o1 “reasoning” models. This expansion is part of OpenAI’s larger strategy to continuously improve its AI’s research capabilities.

Rising Competition with Google and Microsoft

OpenAI’s new feature brings it into more direct competition with tech giants Google and Microsoft. Although Microsoft has invested nearly $14 billion in OpenAI, the two companies are increasingly competing in the search and AI-assisted tool markets. 

Microsoft’s Bing search engine and Copilot AI tools are now directly challenged by ChatGPT’s growing capabilities.

The announcement comes after OpenAI closed a significant funding round, securing a $157 billion valuation and a $4 billion line of credit. Moreover, as OpenAI rolls out ChatGPT Search, it is also working to improve the accuracy of its models by using SimpleQA, a new open-source benchmark. SimpleQA helps evaluate the “correctness” of responses, ensuring that the model consistently provides reliable answers.