WATCH THE VIDEO HERE OpenAI has expanded the capabilities of its popular AI chatbot, ChatGPT, by adding new search functions directly into the model. Announced on Thursday, this move positions OpenAI as a serious contender in the search market, long dominated by tech giants like Google, and places it in competition with Microsoft’s Bing and emerging platforms such as Perplexity, an AI search service backed by Jeff Bezos and Nvidia. The new feature allows ChatGPT to search the web and provide up-to-date, relevant answers, complete with links to external sources. According to OpenAI, the model will determine when to search based on user prompts, using data from third-party search providers and content from established partners. “ChatGPT search leverages third-party search providers, as well as content provided directly by our partners, to provide the information users are looking for,” OpenAI explained in a blog post. The AI company has struck several content deals with major media organizations, including Condé Nast, Time Magazine, the Financial Times, Axel Springer (owner of Business Insider), France’s Le Monde, and Spain’s Prisa Media. In October, OpenAI secured $6.6 billion in funding, pushing its valuation to an estimated $157 billion. Global investors including SoftBank Group Corp. and the new Abu Dhabi-based tech investment firm MGX also participated.
OpenAI adds search functionality to ChatGPT to compete with Google, Microsoft
