ChatGPT’s New Web Search: Bringing the Latest Info to Your Fingertips

Key Takeaways

OpenAI has added a search feature to ChatGPT.

ChatGPT can now pull in the latest info from the web, adding to its standard answers.

Access to this feature is currently limited to Plus and Team members, and anyone on the SearchGPT waitlist.

OpenAI has launched a new feature for ChatGPT: a built-in search that can look up information online without needing Google or another third-party search engine. This new capability allows ChatGPT to go beyond its usual responses and fetch fresh, real-time information for you.

Now, ChatGPT doesn’t just rely on past knowledge. If you’re looking for breaking news, recent sports scores, stock prices, or other up-to-date information, ChatGPT can help. You can either let it perform a search automatically based on your questions or start a search yourself with a simple click. Once the search completes, ChatGPT shows relevant links along with its answers—aiming to bring you the best of both worlds: the conversational ease of AI and the latest insights from the web.

This new search feature is available across OpenAI’s desktop, mobile, and web apps, but access is still rolling out. Right now, it’s available to those with Plus and Team memberships, as well as people who joined the SearchGPT waitlist. Enterprise and educational users should see it in a few weeks, and free-tier users can expect access in the coming months.

If you’re one of the lucky early users, you can even add a Chrome extension that makes ChatGPT your default search tool. OpenAI plans to keep refining the feature, especially in areas like shopping and travel, where up-to-date info is key.

The search is powered by a fine-tuned variant of GPT-4, enhanced with synthetic data and a blend of direct partnerships and third-party search sources. OpenAI’s goal is clear: it wants to make ChatGPT a strong alternative to traditional search engines, even AI-based ones like Perplexity. This way, ChatGPT can answer your questions without needing to redirect you elsewhere, much like Google’s AI Overviews.

Interestingly, this feature hints at OpenAI’s bigger plans. ChatGPT’s new search function adds to the already heavy computational demands of generative AI, which is likely why OpenAI is looking into custom chip development. With specialized hardware, ChatGPT’s search could become faster and more efficient, making the tool even more useful for anyone who needs quick, accurate answers.