ChatGPT has officially introduced a new feature. Its own AI web search is now integrated directly into the existing interface. Instead of launching a completely new platform or a separate product, the user interface remains familiar. This new feature is initially only available to paying users, but general availability for all users is planned.
The partner for the Internet search data in the background is still Microsoft with its search engine Bing. ChatGPT also works closely with a number of publishers, including Axel Springer, Hearst and News Corp. These collaborations give OpenAI access to current news and articles. There are also special data feeds for weather information, sports results and stock prices.
ChatGPT combines the information from the various sources and provides an answer to the user’s respective search query. Unlike traditional search engines, the user receives a consolidated answer based on the sources selected by ChatGPT.
The sources used to create the answer are linked. On the right side of the interface, ChatGPT provides an overview of all URLs used so that the user can understand where the information comes from. This is reminiscent of Google’s AI Overviews or Perplexity’s web search.
By integrating web search, ChatGPT attempts to compensate for some of the fundamental weaknesses of AI models. One problem that repeatedly plagues language models from OpenAI or Google is the phenomenon of so-called “hallucinations” – when the model outputs false or invented information. There is also the problem of outdated data: Since the language model only accessed information that was available up to a certain point in time, it was always difficult to answer questions about news and recent developments.
Despite the advantages, the question remains whether users are prepared to fundamentally change their search behavior. Bing’s experience shows that the integration of AI answers into a search engine alone does not automatically lead to an increase in user numbers. Despite great media attention, Bing has not yet been able to gain significant market share. It remains to be seen whether ChatGPT will succeed in convincing users of the new function in the long term and thus revolutionise established Internet search.
