ChatGPT’s new search function—that pulls real-time information from the web—positions it as a direct competitor to established search engines like Google.
Released on October 31, ChatGPT search is currently only available to ChatGPT Plus and Teams subscribers (on both the web browser and smartphone app), with plans to roll it out to free and enterprise users in the coming weeks.
Key Features of ChatGPT Search
Aside from returning real-time information, search also cites its sources, which, when clicked upon, brings up a side menu with a full list of links used to create the response. There is also a Chrome extension that allows for using ChatGPT as the default search service within the browser toolbar.
Search currently only works when using ChatGPT 4o, not working with the GPT-4 legacy version or the newer o1-preview model.
There is also a new visual element for certain results; OpenAI partnered with various news and data providers to bring visual designs alongside real-time information for popular search categories including weather, stocks, sports, news, and maps.
Search can also be initiated by clicking on the globe or web search icon with the text prompt box. This can be used on previous ChatGPT queries.
In terms of user data, OpenAI says that ChatGPT searches based on your prompts may be shared as “disassociated search queries” with third-party search providers like Bing.
A photo taken on October 4, 2023 in Manta, Italy shows a smartphone and a laptop displaying the OpenAI and ChatGPT logos. OpenAI has released ChatGPT search, a feature that allows for real-time web search.
MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman appeared confident in ChatGPT’s new functionality, posting on X (formerly Twitter), “search is my favorite feature we have launched in chatgpt since the original the launch! it has probably doubled my usage over the past few weeks.”
“I am cheerfully the first to admit when we ship something that isn’t very good, but this time it’s…really good,” he added in a later post.
How ChatGPT Search Compares to Google
So how does ChatGPT search, which uses Bing amongst other services for information retrieval, stack up to Google?
One of the key differences between ChatGPT search and Google is the format of search responses. The former returns conversational, natural language answers with direct citations, allowing users to engage in follow-up questions within the same context while the latter presents a list of links to relevant web pages, requiring users to navigate through multiple sources to find information.
In this context, as long as users are confident there are no hallucinations, ChatGPT might have the edge. However, internet users who like to see under the hood and know exactly where their search leads them might not like the equivalent of a middleman explaining it to them while directing them onwards.
Google’s search index encompasses hundreds of billions of web pages, amounting to over 100 million gigabytes of data. During the recent U.S. Department of Justice‘s antitrust trial against Google, it was revealed that, as of 2020, the company maintained an index of approximately 400 billion documents at that time.
In comparison, ChatGPT search relies on real-time access to third-party search providers including Bing, as well as partner content, to provide answers along with links to relevant web sources, therefore not having the same access as Google to the wider web. In other words, it is less comprehensive.
When choosing between ChatGPT or Google for search, it will be a toss up between personalization and scope. ChatGPT allows for follow up questions and further clarification while Google’s strength lies in the sheer choice of search results it has indexed.
One clear advantage Google has over ChatGPT is established reliability: it benefits from years of optimization and user trust in delivering accurate search results while ChatGPT still carries the disclaimer, “ChatGPT can make mistakes. Check important info.”
In a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) session on October 31, Altman said, “for many queries, I find it to be a way faster/easier way to get the information I’m looking for. I think we’ll see this especially for queries that require more complex research.”
He also hinted at the possibility of a future search query within ChatGPT that “can dynamically render a custom web page in response.”
