Sodiq Olanrewaju · November 1, 2024 · 2 min read 
OpenAI is incorporating web search functionality into ChatGPT to help users find better answers from relevant, trustworthy, and high-quality sources. The company calls it “SearchGPT” and notes that it’ll refine how ChatGPT users engage information while helping content owners reach a wider audience.
With SearchGPT, the AI chatbot will search the web depending on the user’s query or question. Users can also manually perform a web search by selecting the new “web search icon” below the text box. Like Microsoft’s Copilot, ChatGPT will cite referenced web sources at the button of its responses.
Selecting the “Sources” button will open a citation sidebar showing exactly where the chatbot’s responses came from. The sidebar will include links to the web sources (blog posts, news articles, forums, etc.) and their publication dates.
ChatGPT search uses content provided by its publishing partners, third-party search providers, and websites that allow OpenAI’s OAI-Searchbot crawlers. SearchGPT is available on desktop (via chatgpt.com) and the ChatGPT app for Android, iPhone, and iPad.
OpenAI intends to improve ChatGPT search, especially for shopping and travel. In addition to web search integration, ChatGPT will display visual (images and videos) results for weather, maps, news, sports, and stocks-related queries. According to OpenAI, these visual results will give users a richer understanding of responses to their queries.
SearchGPT first debuted as a temporary prototype about three months ago. The web search functionality is now live for ChatGPT Plus and Team users, as well as people who signed up for the SearchGPT waitlist. The feature will roll out to users on Enterprise and Education “in the next few weeks,” while Free plans will get access “over the coming months.”
OpenAI mentions that unregistered or logged-out users will also have access to ChatGPT’s new web search experience in the future. However, for now, only registered users (particularly paid subscribers) get priority access.
