San Francisco – OpenAI has announced the rollout of its ChatGPT-powered free internet search feature for all users, marking a significant move that challenges Google’s long-standing supremacy in the search engine market.
According to a report by AFP, the San Francisco-based tech company had introduced real-time web search capabilities in late October, but the feature was previously limited to paid subscribers.
OpenAI’s new public search feature allows users to obtain “fast, real-time answers” along with relevant web source links, similar to the experience traditionally provided by conventional search engines.
Kevin Weil, OpenAI’s Chief Product Officer, stated in a video posted on YouTube, “We are bringing search to all logged-in, free users of ChatGPT.” He added that the feature will now be available globally across all platforms where ChatGPT is accessible.
The newly integrated interface resembles results provided by Google Search or Google Maps but stands out by being free of advertisements. Comparisons have also been drawn with AI-powered search engines like Perplexity, which offer cited sources and conversational responses, delivering a more interactive search experience.
Adam Fry, Head of Search at ChatGPT, emphasized in the video, “We’re enhancing the ChatGPT experience you already know by integrating access to the latest information from the web.”
OpenAI has opted to integrate search directly into the ChatGPT platform rather than launching it as a separate product. Users can enable the search feature manually through the web search icon or have it activated by default.
Traditionally, AI chatbots like ChatGPT or Anthropic’s Claude have been limited by data cutoffs, making their responses outdated. In contrast, Google and Microsoft combine AI-powered responses with live web search results.
The addition of real-time web search to ChatGPT raises further questions about OpenAI’s ties with Microsoft, its largest investor. Microsoft, which is striving to expand its Bing search engine, directly competes with Google’s dominance in the search market.
This development comes as OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman positions the company as a major internet powerhouse. OpenAI recently secured a valuation of $157 billion during its latest funding round, supported by investors like Microsoft, SoftBank, and AI chip giant NVIDIA.
By attracting new users with its search engine capabilities, OpenAI is poised to scale up its computational demands and operational costs significantly. Nonetheless, this move underscores OpenAI’s growing ambition to redefine the landscape of internet search.
