OpenAI rivals Google with ChatGPT search update

OpenAI has launched ChatGPT Search, a fine-tuned version of GPT-4o that aims to boost the quality and speed of searches, competing with the likes of Google and Microsoft.

Currently available to ChatGPT Plus and Team users, as well as users on the SearchGPT waiting list, the new search tool promises to provide “timely answers” bolstered by links to relevant web sources that would normally be found by a separate search engine.

By clicking on a new globe icon, users will be able to search the web and obtain results in real time, asking a question in a more natural and colloquial way thanks to a chat interface, with ChatGPT able to provide selected information from the web.

The new model, trained using novel synthetic generation techniques, including distilling outputs from OpenAI o1-preview, allows for more structured searches, with photos related to the topic, selected links, and blog posts for more in-depth information, and trending searches suggested directly by ChatGPT.

OpenAI said that development of the service has involved working with news and data providers to add visual designs for several categories including weather, stocks, sports, news and maps.

The AI giant said it extensively collaborated with media companies including Associated Press, Axel Springer, Condé Nast, Dotdash Meredith, The Financial Times, GEDI, Hearst, Le Monde, News Corp, Prisa (El País), Reuters, The Atlantic, Time, and Vox Media.

“We are convinced that AI search will be, in a near future and for the next generations, a primary way to access information,” said Louis Dreyfus, chief executive officer and publisher at Le Monde.

Search will be offered on chatgpt.com as well as on OpenAI’s desktop and mobile applications. Enterprise and Edu users will also gain access over the coming weeks, with the technology eventually extended to all free users.

Future plans include continuing to improve the search model, particularly in areas like shopping and travel, as well as using the reasoning capabilities of the OpenAI o1 series to do deeper research.

“We also plan to bring our new search experience to Advanced Voice and canvas, as well as to Free and logged out users in the future,” said OpenAI.