This strategic upgrade positions ChatGPT as a competitor to Google, blending the ease of natural language queries with timely, sourced information directly in chats.
Plus and Team users can access this feature now, with availability for all Free users expected in the coming months.
Key Points:
ChatGPT’s new search feature allows users to ask simple questions and receive timely information on various topics.
ChatGPT will choose to search the web based on what you ask. Users can also manually choose to search by clicking the web search icon.
Search results include source attributions, enabling users to click through for more details.
Search results also feature visual designs for categories like weather, stocks, sports, news, and maps.
OpenAI has partnered with major news organizations, including Associated Press, Vox Media, and Axel Springer, ensuring content is accurately sourced and benefiting content creators.
The search model is a fine-tuned version of GPT-4o.
The upgraded search tool builds on OpenAI’s SearchGPT prototype, enhanced with feedback from initial users to refine accuracy and source attribution.
The feature is initially available to ChatGPT Plus and Team users, with a gradual rollout planned for other users, including those on Free plans.
Key Quotes:
Pam Wasserstein, President of Vox Media: “ChatGPT search promises to better highlight and attribute information from trustworthy news sources, benefiting audiences while expanding the reach of publishers like ourselves who produce premium journalism.”
Louis Dreyfus, CEO & Publisher of Le Monde: “We are convinced that AI search will be, in a 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.”
Mathias Sanchez, SVP Global Strategic Partnerships Axel Springer SE: “As AI reshapes the media landscape, Axel Springer’s partnership with OpenAI opens up tremendous opportunities for innovative advancements. Together, we’re driving new business models that ensure journalism remains both trustworthy and profitable.”
This move signifies OpenAI’s ambition to challenge traditional search engines by creating a platform where users can engage with information more conversationally while benefiting from clear source attributions.
It also highlights a collaborative shift in the AI and media industries, where AI-generated content gains credibility through partnerships with established news organizations.
