What is ChatGPT Search?
Last week, OpenAI unveiled ChatGPT Search, which lets users search the web directly within ChatGPT for timely, up-to-date information, complete with citations linked to sources. The tool can be called on manually or activated whenever a user prompt could benefit from web-based information.
With ChatGPT Search, you can enter your sentence as your train of thought takes you, and the AI will understand the meaning of your query by leveraging its NLP capabilities. This means you can spend less time crafting a tailored search query but still get exactly what you want.
ChatGPT Search vs. Google
I entered three search queries into Google and ChatGPT. The first query was straightforward: "When is Daylights saving time?" Since it is a straightforward question, both entities produced nearly identical results, showing the dates and a brief description:
Even though there is no clear winner in this challenge, it is a good example of how well ChatGPT matches Google, which has been the most predominant search engine for over a decade.
For the second question, I asked, "My friend was talking about a brunette singer-actress on Disney Channel who made a movie called Monte Carlo. Who was she talking about?" I tried keeping the search query as conversational as possible in this prompt:
In these results, ChatGPT did a better job and immediately named Selena Gomez. The tool even restated my question in its answer and added helpful context. All Google could do was populate an excerpt from Selena Gomez’s Wikipedia page. The excerpt doesn’t even name her by first name; it’s not until you look at the page name that the result refers to Selena.
Lastly, I asked both searches a harder prompt to "plan a seven-day vacation to Ireland, where I stay mostly in the countryside." Google’s results were just a page of results with links. ChatGPT gave me a planned, day-by-day itinerary with specific locations and activities.
Conclusion
ChatGPT Search seems like the easiest way to quickly find the answers to what you want, especially for everyday search queries. While Google still has some advantages, such as shopping and maps, ChatGPT’s conversational approach and ability to provide structured answers make it a powerful tool.
Availability
The search experience is available on the ChatGPT website, desktops, and mobile apps for all ChatGPT Plus, Team users, and SearchGPT waitlist users. The ChatGPT Plus subscription costs $20 monthly and comes with other perks, such as the new Voice Mode, Canvas, and unlimited image generation. Enterprise and Edu users will receive access in the upcoming weeks, and free users will receive access in the coming months.
FAQs
Q: What is ChatGPT Search?
A: ChatGPT Search is a tool that lets users search the web directly within ChatGPT for timely, up-to-date information, complete with citations linked to sources.
Q: How does ChatGPT Search work?
A: With ChatGPT Search, you can enter your sentence as your train of thought takes you, and the AI will understand the meaning of your query by leveraging its NLP capabilities.
Q: Is ChatGPT Search better than Google?
A: ChatGPT Search seems to be better than Google for everyday search queries, especially for conversational queries. However, Google still has some advantages, such as shopping and maps.
Q: When will ChatGPT Search be available?
A: The search experience is available now for ChatGPT Plus, Team users, and SearchGPT waitlist users. Enterprise and Edu users will receive access in the upcoming weeks, and free users will receive access in the coming months.
