OPENAI is working on a new ability for ChatGPT to look up information online and reference sources, a source says. This could directly challenge Google and the AI search company Perplexity.
The feature would let users pose questions to ChatGPT and get answers that pull information from the internet, with source citations from places like Wikipedia and blogs, a source who wished to stay unnamed said.
The tool might also show images with text answers when needed. For example, if someone asked how to replace a doorknob, the answer could come with a diagram showing how to do it, according to the source.
The Information disclosed a search product under development in February. The specifics of how this product functions were not shared before. OpenAI has not made
OpenAI is facing significant pressure to improve its most famous product as competition increases with many new chatbots emerging. Search technology is a major focus in the AI sector. Perplexity has become well-known and is valued at US$1 billion for its AI search engine that prioritizes accuracy and references.
Meanwhile, Google is quickly updating its main search features to incorporate AI and plans to introduce its latest Gemini AI models at its upcoming I/O event next week.
On social media, there is a lot of guessing about OpenAI’s plans for a search feature. Recently, some users on X, previously known as Twitter, mentioned the website search.chatgpt.com as a sign that OpenAI might introduce a search option. Currently, this URL shows a “not found” message in small letters.
However, for a short time over the weekend, it redirected to chatgpt.com, the main site where users can talk to the chatbot.
This feature would build on what OpenAI already provides to certain users. Currently, ChatGPT can fetch online search results for specific questions, like the current weather in San Francisco, but only paying users have access to this. Sometimes, it also includes citations.
However, there can be glitches: For instance, when asked on Sunday (May 5), “What did President Biden do this weekend?” it correctly answered that he was in Delaware, but the source it referenced was a news article from 2023.
What we think?
I think OpenAI’s new search feature will really shake things up. It will challenge Google and other AI companies like Perplexity. By pulling up-to-date information from the internet and citing sources, it could be more trustworthy.
Adding pictures to answers will help users understand better. However, there might be some bugs at first. Overall, it seems like a big step forward in making AI more useful and competitive.
