OpenAI is throwing down the gauntlet at Google by rolling out its new search feature

ChatGPT is getting an upgrade with web search.

OpenAI just upped ChatGPT’s search abilities.

On Thursday, the GenAI company said that its chatbot will have a new and improved search feature that can provide “links to relevant web sources” when asked a question. OpenAI said ChatGPT can handle requests that users would’ve had to use a search engine for.

As it stands, Google is the dominant search engine. OpenAI is taking on the tech giant by offering a search tool that can process conversational questions and keep track of context.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in an X post that using ChatGPT search has “probably doubled my usage over the past few weeks.”

search is my favorite feature we have launched in chatgpt since the original the launch!

it has probably doubled my usage over the past few weeks. https://t.co/alD11AwUUb

— Sam Altman (@sama) October 31, 2024

Before this launch, ChatGPT could accurately answer questions up to a certain period and search the web to provide relevant answers. ChatGPT Plus and Team users can now use the chatbot for real-time answers on subjects like the weather, the stock market, and more. The tool will roll out to fee users “over the coming months.”

In July, Altman confirmed that the company was testing a prototype called SearchGPT. It was an indicator that OpenAI would be coming to challenge Google’s search reign.

Instead of pulling up the nearest restaurants, OpenAI said ChatGPT can make recommendations with its search feature and answer follow-up questions.

While it’ll take some time to show if it’s a true search competitor, given it’s not yet widely available, it’s another step from OpenAI toward taking on the search behemoth.