OpenAI Enhances ChatGPT with Real-Time Search Features

OpenAI is intensifying its competition with Google by developing new capabilities for its ChatGPT AI bot, aiming to establish it as a leading search engine. The company is currently testing a search feature that integrates real-time information, enabling ChatGPT to provide users with up-to-date responses and relevant links. This feature is expected to be fully integrated into ChatGPT, which gained significant attention upon its launch in 2022. OpenAI, supported by Microsoft, has already introduced various tools for coding, video creation, data analysis, and image generation. The new search tool will allow users to ask follow-up questions, streamlining the process of obtaining information online. OpenAI highlighted the challenges users face when searching the web, often requiring multiple attempts to find relevant results. Analysts suggest that AI chatbots represent the future of search, a sector currently dominated by Google, which holds over 90% of the global market. Following OpenAI's announcement, shares of Alphabet, Google's parent company, fell nearly 3%. While OpenAI is advancing its search capabilities, concerns about the environmental impact of AI technology persist due to its high energy consumption. The company is collaborating with publishers, including the Atlantic and News Corp, to enhance its search feature. OpenAI emphasized its commitment to supporting a diverse ecosystem of publishers and creators, introducing tools that allow publishers to manage their visibility in the new SearchGPT prototype. However, OpenAI has faced legal challenges over allegations of using copyrighted content to train its AI systems.