ChatGPT, the popular AI chatbot from OpenAI, has regained the ability to search the web and provide real-time answers, thanks to a new feature called Browse with Bing.
Announced today, Browse with Bing allows ChatGPT subscribers on Plus and Enterprise plans to prompt the bot to search the web and return up-to-date information directly from current websites. The answers even include citations, so users can check the sources.
This brings ChatGPT in line with other AI assistants like Microsoft’s Bing Chat and Google’s Bard, which can already pull live data from the web. It’s a major upgrade over the previous version of ChatGPT, which could only draw on its training data from 2021.
The new web searching capabilities address one of the main limitations of ChatGPT – its lack of current information. Now users can get timely facts and figures on breaking news, verified by links to authoritative sites like news outlets and databases.
Of course, verifying AI’s work is still important, as these models can hallucinate answers. The ability to click through to original sources gives users an important tool to check accuracy and learn more.
OpenAI plans to roll out Browse with Bing to all ChatGPT users soon. The company pulled a previous web browsing feature from ChatGPT in June over concerns about providing paywalled content. This new version avoids those issues by citing public sources.
With ChatGPT’s uncanny language skills now supplemented by access to the latest information, it offers an even more powerful AI assistant. But human oversight remains key, as no bot is perfect. Browse with Bing looks like a major step toward a safer, more useful ChatGPT.