OpenAI announces SearchGPT with plans to integrate it into ChatGPT

The prototype will combine OpenAI's artificial intelligence models with information from the internet.

The integration of AI into all corners of life continues with OpenAI’s latest creation: SearchGPT. The search engine will combine the conversational tone of ChatGPT with information from online sites.

OpenAI blog post showing SearchGPT announcement — Source: OpenAI

OpenAI announced its SearchGPT prototype on July 25, 2024 in a blog post on the company’s official site. SearchGPT is a “temporary prototype” consisting of a few AI search features designed to give users fast answers – not entirely dissimilar to ChatGPT.

The new feature will utilize the company’s already existing AI models and combine them with information from the internet. While this is just a prototype, OpenAI does plan to integrate the “best of these features” into ChatGPT in the future.

According to the post, SearchGPT is designed to give users answers, quickly, in a conversational tone using “up-to-date information from the web”. It will be interesting to see how SearchGPT performs, especially considering that AI models can often provide incorrect information.

We’ve partnered with publishers to build this experience and continue to seek their feedback. In addition to launching the SearchGPT prototype, we are also launching a way for publishers to manage how they appear in SearchGPT, so publishers have more choices. Importantly, SearchGPT is about search and is separate from training OpenAI’s generative AI foundation models. Sites can be surfaced in search results even if they opt out of generative AI training. To read more about publisher controls and OpenAI’s bots, see here(opens in a new window). We’ve also heard from publishers and creators that they want to understand how best to engage with AI search products and how their content performs. We’ll use this prototype to learn more and share findings. If you’d like to share feedback, please email us at publishers-feedback@openai.com. — Source: OpenAI

One of the key issues that continues to crop up in regards to artificial intelligence is how these models are trained on other people’s work. OpenAI claims that SearchGPT is separate from the training of generative AI models, and that sites can still appear within its search results despite having opted out of said training. In addition to this, SearchGPT will have “clear, in-line, named attribution and links so users know where information is coming from.”

Recently, AI search engine Perplexity received a cease and desist letter from Conde Nast, the media conglomerate behind publications such as Vogue, The New Yorker, GQ, Wired and more. The original report from The Information notes that the letter demands Perplexity stop using Conde Nast’s content in the search engine’s generative AI responses. Whether SearchGPT encounters similar resistance will likely depend on how the system utilizes the information and how it’s presented.

OpenAI continues to be at the forefront of the artificial intelligence frontier, eking out new ground through various creations. While SearchGPT is only available to a small group of users and publishers, there is a waitlist for those who want to get in and see what it’s all about. Check out our OpenAI and artificial intelligence pages for more information.

Hailing from the land down under, Sam Chandler brings a bit of the southern hemisphere flair to his work. After bouncing round a few universities, securing a bachelor degree, and entering the video game industry, he's found his new family here at Shacknews as a Guides Editor. There's nothing he loves more than crafting a guide that will help someone. If you need help with a guide, or notice something not quite right, you can message him on X: @SamuelChandler