OpenAI finally launched its AI-powered search engine in ChatGPT, SearchGPT. It provides real-time web results and live news along with citations to authenticate the information.
This year in July, OpenAI announced that they were testing a temporary prototype for SearchGPT and finally, that search engine is live now. ChatGPT search engine promises to deliver up-to-the-minute information across sports, stocks, news, weather, and more, directly within the ChatGPT interface.
We also partnered with news and data providers to add up-to-date information and new visual designs for categories like weather, stocks, sports, news, and maps.
OpenAI blog
Unlike traditional search engines, ChatGPT’s new feature allows users to search the web through natural queries.
We are convinced that AI search will be, in the near future and for the next generations, a primary way to access information, and partnering with OpenAI positions Le Monde at the forefront of this shift. It allows us to test innovations at an early stage while safeguarding journalism’s core values and integrity.
Louis Dreyfus, CEO & Publisher of Le Monde
The AI-powered search engine determines when to tap into web results, or users can manually trigger a search by clicking an integrated web search icon. This approach enables more intuitive information gathering, with the ability to ask follow-up questions and receive contextually relevant responses.
As we all know the popularity of ChatGPT since 2022, providing this search engine right along with ChatGPT would give opportunity to the user to try it at least once. Now the company strategy is to make users addicted to this new search engine just like Google.
The large language model GPT-4o powers this search engine, hence the search functionality uses a combination of search technologies, including Microsoft’s Bing. OpenAI has carefully developed the feature to provide accurate, up-to-date information.
The company has strategically partnered with numerous news and data providers, including the Associated Press, Reuters, and Axel Springer, to ensure comprehensive and reliable content.
One of the standout features of the new search is its commitment to source attribution. Users can now access clickable citations and a sources sidebar, allowing them to verify information and explore original content.
This approach addresses previous concerns about AI-generated information by providing clear pathways to original sources.
Currently, the search feature is available to ChatGPT Plus, Team users and to the SearchGPT waitlist participants. OpenAI plans rollout, with Enterprise and Education users gaining access in the coming weeks. SearchGPT will be accessible to free users in the subsequent months.
SearchGPT and Competitor Search Engines
The launch positions OpenAI as a significant competitor in the AI search market, challenging established search engine players like Google and Microsoft as well as new AI-powered search engines like Perplexity.
OpenAI aims to improve user interaction with online information by offering a clutter-free, or in other words, ad-free search experience,
Now, for the content creators getting to the top result page in SearchGPT is another top priority. What SEO strategies one needs to follow still needs to unfold. SearchGPT is a platform that provides users the opportunity to ask questions conversationally, hence the search queries are more likely to be in that casual tone.
Recently, Google Search launched AI overviews in its search engine, and now OpenAI launched a fully AI-powered search engine. It seems like this whole Internet paradigm is going to shift in a new direction.
OpenAI is aware of potential pitfalls, such as false information and accuracy concerns. The company claims that real-time information access will actually improve factual accuracy.
OpenAI has ambitious plans for the search feature, including expansions into shopping and travel searches.