ChatGPT’s New Search: A Game-Changer  OpenAI recently introduced ChatGPT Search, aiming to challenge Google’s longstanding dominance in the search space. Rather than launching a new product, OpenAI integrated search capabilities directly into its ChatGPT platform, offering fast, timely answers that include links to relevant web sources. However, the accuracy of these responses is still under review.

HT.com tested ChatGPT Search with mixed results. For example, when asked about Elon Musk’s recent visit to India, the AI mistakenly stated that Musk had visited India in October 2024 and had met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss a $2 to $3 billion Tesla investment. ChatGPT Search further claimed that Musk engaged with local space startups and signed a semiconductor deal with Tata Group for Tesla’s supply chain—events that did not actually happen. ChatGPT’s response included a link to a Techcircle article, which, in fact, was from April 2024 and did not mention an October visit. Musk had actually canceled his planned April trip, citing major Tesla commitments, with no subsequent visit in October.

In contrast, ChatGPT Search accurately provided information about Donald Trump’s 2020 India visit, mentioning his attendance at the “Namaste Trump” rally in Ahmedabad.

When HT.com asked the same question about Musk’s India visit to Google’s AI chatbot Gemini, Gemini correctly responded that Musk had postponed his April 2024 trip due to heavy obligations with Tesla, adding that the trip was initially planned for April 20–22. Google introduced AI-generated summaries at the top of search results earlier this year, providing quick answers without requiring users to click through to additional pages.

 

ChatGPT’s New Search: A Game-Changer  OpenAI recently enhanced its ChatGPT AI chatbot by adding search capabilities, marking a move to challenge Google’s longstanding dominance in web search. With this upgrade, ChatGPT now provides “fast, timely answers” linked to relevant web sources, information users would previously access through traditional search engines.

The upgrade allows ChatGPT to deliver real-time data across various topics, including weather, stock prices, sports scores, and breaking news. These features are backed by content partnerships with prominent media providers like France’s Le Monde, Germany’s Axel Springer, and the UK’s Financial Times. The search results, displayed without ads, resemble a streamlined version of Google or Google Maps and share similarities with the interface of Perplexity, another AI search engine offering conversational, source-referenced answers.

OpenAI and Perplexity, however, face lawsuits from the New York Times over claims of unauthorized use of copyrighted content. OpenAI has opted to embed the search functionality directly within ChatGPT rather than launching a standalone product, currently available for subscribers and soon to expand to the free version. Users can either set the search as a default or access it through a web search icon. Additionally, OpenAI is inviting feedback from publishers, who can choose to opt into ChatGPT’s search results.

Unlike Google and Microsoft, which blend AI and web search, OpenAI’s past AI responses were limited by outdated data cutoffs. ChatGPT’s new search feature, which currently operates without ads, presents a cleaner alternative to Google’s ad-laden results.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman highlighted search as his favorite ChatGPT feature since its 2022 launch, calling it a quicker and easier way to obtain information. OpenAI’s growth trajectory continues, recently achieving a $157 billion valuation in a funding round involving Microsoft, SoftBank, and Nvidia. However, expanding search capabilities to attract new users will demand substantial computing resources, adding to the company’s already high operational costs.

 

ChatGPT’s New Search: A Game-Changer  ChatGPT has been upgraded with a new search feature, allowing it to retrieve fast, up-to-date answers linked to web sources—tasks that previously required a separate search engine. This combines ChatGPT’s natural language capabilities with real-time data, such as sports scores, news, stock prices, and more.

ChatGPT will decide when to search based on the question asked, though users can also manually activate it via the web search icon. Available now for ChatGPT Plus, Team, and SearchGPT waitlist users on chatgpt.com and in desktop and mobile apps, the feature will reach Enterprise and Edu users soon, with a broader rollout for Free users planned in the coming months.

This enhancement aims to deliver better answers by reducing the need for multiple searches and eliminating the need to sift through links to find quality sources. Users can ask questions conversationally, with ChatGPT retrieving relevant web information and adapting its responses based on follow-up questions within the chat.

OpenAI has also partnered with news and data providers to supply current information and visual content for weather, stocks, sports, news, and maps. Responses now include clickable source links, allowing users to explore related articles and posts. According to Louis Dreyfus, CEO & Publisher of *Le Monde*, partnering with OpenAI keeps the publication at the forefront of digital innovation while preserving journalistic integrity.

Through partnerships with media organizations such as Le Monde, Axel Springer, Financial Times, and others, ChatGPT Search connects users to original, high-quality content, giving publishers a wider audience reach. Mathias Sanchez of Axel Springer sees this as a pathway to sustainable and trustworthy journalism within the evolving media landscape.

ChatGPT’s search model, based on an advanced version of GPT-4, uses refined techniques like synthetic data generation and draws from third-party search providers and direct partner content. Insights from the SearchGPT prototype informed this feature, and OpenAI plans to enhance it for areas like shopping and travel. Future updates will extend the search experience to Advanced Voice, Canvas, Free, and logged-out users.

ChatGPT Plus and Team users can try out the feature at chatgpt.com today.