OpenAI has launched a search feature for ChatGPT, allowing the AI to access real-time internet data for sports scores, news, stock market fluctuations, weather forecasts, and restaurant recommendations. This new functionality offers a seamless integration with the chat interface, eliminating the need for users to switch to search engines for information. OpenAI emphasizes its collaboration with news and data providers to deliver enhanced visual designs and richer real-time data across multiple domains, including weather, stocks, sports, news, and maps.
The search feature is initially available for ChatGPT Plus and Team users, as well as for those on the SearchGPT waiting list. Enterprise and Education users will gain access in the coming weeks, and free users will be able to use it in the following months on both web and mobile applications. This feature is based on a refined GPT-4 model using new synthetic data generation technology.
In response, Google has integrated its Gemini AI model with Google Search, a feature they call "Grounding with Google Search." This integration allows Gemini to provide more accurate and up-to-date answers, complete with source links and search suggestions, enhancing transparency and credibility. Google has developed a "dynamic retrieval" function for Gemini, enabling intelligent decisions on when to perform live searches based on user queries, thereby optimizing time and resource use.
Google's Gemini search capability uses the Gemini 1.5 series model and can be accessed via API or within the Google AI Studio, with free testing available in the AI Studio. API usage costs $35 per 1,000 queries.
This development marks a significant step in the ongoing competition between OpenAI and Google for dominance in the AI search arena. While some users find the new AI search experiences less compelling than alternatives like Perplexity, the technological race is just beginning, with major companies investing heavily in innovation.
