ChatGPT’s new AI search beats Google in this one thing

OpenAI’s ChatGPT has removed the last barrier to using ChatGPT as a search engine, the requirement to log in. Now, it’s open to all.

OpenAI launched the feature last fall, but required a login. Now, the feature can be used without the need for registration.

ChatGPT Search is essentially just ChatGPT, and can be accessed at ChatGPT.com. But below the “Message ChatGPT” box you’ll see a small icon called “Search” that can be clicked. When activated, it will turn blue, signaling that the web search is active. In my tests, however, I didn’t even need to click the “Search” icon; when I typed in “What’s the most important tech news today?” I received a similar list of answers whether the Search icon had been highlighted or not. In both cases, ChatGPT used the web search to pull its responses.

Essentially, this new ChatGPT search feature turns the ChatGPT interface into something like the Google Chrome Omnibox at the top of your browser: It can be used to type in the name of a web page, of course, but it’s also a search box. ChatGPT now doubles as a search engine as well as a general way to chat with ChatGPT.

It’s worth noting that the “Log In” and “Sign Up” buttons still remain at the top of the ChatGPT web page, and logging in will continue to save a history of your chats. Signing up for ChatGPT’s paid programs will offer more sophisticated models. (ChatGPT reports that’s it’s using the “GPT-4” model, tuned for conversation and interaction.)

The new functionality of ChatGPT places it in direct competition with Perplexity.ai, which also uses a combination of AI-powered search and the web to return responses. Compared to Googe’s Gemini, which also uses up-to-date sources for its results, ChatGPT has an edge in that it doesn’t disallow the topics of elections or politics.

Mark Hachman / IDG

Is ChatGPT’s search function good?

It’s not great, but it’s not too shabby, either. To help offset concerns that it might be “hallucinating” results, ChatGPT includes footnoted links with its source material. When asked what the best processor was for 4K PC gaming, it returned a short, footnoted argument claiming that both the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D and Ryzen 7 7800X3D were the two best choices, a conclusion I’d agree with. The links back to the original sources, however, we monochromatic and easily missed.

I also found it a good choice if you’re looking for an ongoing summary of what the new Trump administration is doing to the government. A traditional search engine like Bing or Google spat out individual search results, while ChatGPT provided a summary and links.

Like many, I’m still suspicious of AI’s tendency to get things wrong, and to slurp up content I and others have created without credit or a reference to the page. For deep knowledge, I’ll still use a search engine to find the sources of deep knowledge. But for a general overview, ChatGPT isn’t bad.