OpenAI Launches ChatGPT Search, Its Competitor to Google.

OpenAI has recently introduced ChatGPT Search, a new tool that enhances the prototype known as SearchGPT, introduced during the summer. This functionality, integrated into the ChatGPT platform, promises to provide "timely answers" to various questions, using information from multiple online sources. ChatGPT Search is powered by an optimized version of OpenAI's GPT-4o model, enabling it to offer data, images, and internet results, such as sports scores, news, and stock quotes, along with links to relevant sources.

Users can keep track of their searches by asking additional questions. ChatGPT's search system will activate based on the inquiries, but there is also the option to conduct searches manually through a new icon designed for this purpose. The responses generated by ChatGPT will include attributions both online and in a sidebar, linking to news editors and other data sources with which OpenAI has licensing agreements. For example, when searching for weekend events in San Francisco, the summary may come from local news sites, and if a follow-up question about restaurant recommendations is asked, a list of options in the area will be displayed.

Queries related to election results will be directed to sources such as AP and Reuters. Initially, ChatGPT Plus and Team users will have access to ChatGPT Search on mobile and web. Subsequently, business and educational customers will receive this functionality, along with free users at a later stage. Additionally, OpenAI has released a browser extension to set ChatGPT Search as the default search engine in Chrome.

The company has expressed its intention to continue improving the search feature, focusing on sectors such as shopping and travel, leveraging its reasoning models to conduct deeper research. There are also plans to integrate ChatGPT Search into its Advanced Voice Mode and offer it to users who are not registered on the platform.

However, some publishers have expressed concerns regarding the summaries generated by artificial intelligence, particularly ChatGPT Search and Google’s AI Overviews, arguing that they could negatively impact traffic to their sites. One study indicated that these summaries could lead to a negative impact on traffic of up to 25% for publishers, due to the diminished importance placed on article links. OpenAI has stated that it has taken into account the feedback from its publishing partners on how the most relevant articles for a query are determined, as well as the length of summaries and the citations included.