OpenAI, the leading artificial intelligence research laboratory, has finally unveiled its highly anticipated search product, SearchGPT. The company plans to integrate the best features of SearchGPT into its popular ChatGPT platform in the future. This temporary prototype of the search engine is limited to just 10,000 users and publishers during its initial launch.
SearchGPT utilizes AI models and extracts information from the web to generate responses to user queries. In a recent blog post, OpenAI explained that the search engine will provide fast answers accompanied by clear and relevant sources. The interface of SearchGPT, known as “browse mode,” closely resembles its predecessor, GPT-4o. OpenAI has shared videos showcasing the improved speed and ease of use of SearchGPT.
The search engine displays a search box prompting users to enter their query. Once the query is submitted, SearchGPT generates an answer that includes links to sources within the text and displays additional sources beneath the answer in a sidebar. OpenAI demonstrated this functionality with searches for music festivals in Boone, NC in August 2024 and the best tomatoes to grow in Minnesota.
For publishers, OpenAI offers a way to manage their appearance in SearchGPT, granting them more choices. Importantly, SearchGPT operates independently of OpenAI’s generative AI training, allowing sites to appear in search results even if they opt out of generative AI training.
OpenAI has plans to further enhance SearchGPT by improving searches related to local information and commerce. Users can join the SearchGPT waitlist to get access to the search engine as soon as it becomes available.
The journey towards OpenAI’s search product began in February when the company first announced its plans. Speculation intensified in May, but instead of launching the search product, OpenAI introduced GPT-4o. However, earlier this month, The Atlantic CEO confirmed that OpenAI was indeed working on a search product.
OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, has expressed a desire to create a user-friendly search engine that offers a different experience from Google. Altman aims to combine language models and search without overwhelming users with advertisements. While it is too early to determine if ChatGPT will become a rival to Google Search, this development is undoubtedly a story worth following in the months and years to come.
In conclusion, OpenAI’s SearchGPT prototype has generated excitement among users and publishers. With its AI-powered responses and integration of relevant sources, SearchGPT aims to offer a unique search experience. The waitlist for the search engine is now open, and its future updates, including improvements to local information and commerce searches, will be eagerly anticipated. OpenAI’s commitment to creating a search engine that challenges the status quo makes this a significant development in the field of artificial intelligence.
