OpenAI’s newly launched ChatGPT Search is bound to make search engines sit up and take notice. With a real-time and answer-on-demand feature, it is just as sharp as it is speedy. After some warm-up rounds with the SearchGPT prototype, ChatGPT now gives live answers on everything from football scores to stock prices. Think of it as your personal, chatty Google—minus the need for a browser detour.

“This blends the benefits of a natural language interface with the value of up-to-date sports scores, news, stock quotes, and more,” OpenAI announced. Now, ChatGPT decides when to scan the web for relevant data, or one can take the reins by clicking the web search icon.

Currently, SearchGPT is available for ChatGPT Plus and Team and waitlisted users. Enterprise and Edu accounts are next in line, and OpenAI plans to roll it out to Free-tier users over the coming months.

So, What is ChatGPT Search All About?
ChatGPT Search is armed with an enhanced GPT-4 model. It uses live web content for instant insights, complete with links to trustworthy sources. And for a quick follow-up question, it brings context and real-time data to refine searches.

Previously, ChatGPT’s knowledge was capped at a certain point (2021-2023, depending on the model). But now, OpenAI’s spokesperson Niko Felix says the model gets live info on demand, while general updates to its training data will be rolled out separately.

Also Read: Abhishek Gulyani is the New MD, India & Head of Corporate Affairs, Asia-Pacific at Zeno Group India

With a turbo-charged GPT-4o, and trained synthetic data generation methods, ChatGPT Search pulls from both third-party search engines and partnered providers. Responses include both in-text and sidebar citations for sources. So if one looks for “weekend events in London,” they will get local highlights and a follow-up on “nearby brunch spots.” For election-related queries, its response will be sourced from outlets like AP and Reuters.

OpenAI has big plans for ChatGPT Search’s future too, dipping into shopping and travel, and it’s o1 “Reasoning” models to better research. It also plans to add the search feature to Advanced Voice Mode. CEO Sam Altman took to X and said, “It’s really good.”