OpenAI has launched a new search feature within ChatGPT, positioning the AI startup to compete directly with established search engines like Google, Microsoft’s Bing, and other emerging platforms. The feature, called ChatGPT search, enables users to access real-time information such as sports scores, stock quotes, news, and weather through web searches powered by partnerships with news and data providers. Beta-tested under the name SearchGPT since July, this addition to ChatGPT offers a natural, conversational approach to finding information online.
The launch represents a shift in the search engine landscape, as ChatGPT’s real-time search capabilities provide an alternative to traditional search. Since ChatGPT’s initial release in November 2022, Alphabet investors have raised concerns that OpenAI’s AI-driven approach could draw users away from Google by offering a more intuitive way to access information. The news led to a slight dip in Alphabet’s stock, as OpenAI’s latest feature intensifies its rivalry with Google and Microsoft, despite Microsoft’s substantial $14 billion investment in OpenAI. This complex relationship now sees OpenAI’s products competing with Microsoft’s own AI and search tools, including Bing and Copilot.
On a Reddit AMA, OpenAI’s VP of Engineering, Srinivas Narayanan, clarified that ChatGPT search relies on multiple search services, with Bing being a key component. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman described search as his “favorite feature” launched since ChatGPT’s debut, adding that it simplifies information retrieval for complex queries. Altman also suggested that future search functionality could include dynamically generated custom web pages tailored to individual queries.
The ChatGPT search model is built on GPT-4o, OpenAI’s most advanced AI model, with contributions from third-party search providers and media partners. Users can initiate searches automatically based on their queries or manually by clicking a web search icon within ChatGPT. The model provides source links within responses, accessible through a “Sources” button that opens relevant articles or blog posts in a sidebar. OpenAI’s news collaborators include The Associated Press, Reuters, Axel Springer, Condé Nast, Hearst, Dotdash Meredith, Financial Times, News Corp., Le Monde, The Atlantic, Time, and Vox Media. ChatGPT Plus and Team subscribers, along with SearchGPT’s waitlist members, can access ChatGPT search immediately, with rollouts for ChatGPT Enterprise, Edu, and free-tier users planned in the coming months.
This feature expansion follows OpenAI’s recent funding boost, which valued the company at $157 billion, backed by over $10 billion in liquidity. However, OpenAI faces scrutiny over its pivot to a for-profit model and some executive resignations, with former safety lead Jan Leike publicly expressing concerns about a shift in focus from safety to product development.
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