OpenAI made ChatGPT with search, or SearchGPT, live on Thursday for paying subscribers, with plans to roll it out more broadly to free plans in the coming months. ChatGPT users can now click a “Search” button when they message the AI chatbot to conduct a real-time web search. The resulting answer has a “Sources” button with reference links.
“This is huge news in the search world,” Damian Rollison, director of market insights at AI marketing firm SOCi, told Entrepreneur in an emailed statement. “ChatGPT is probably best positioned amongst all competitors to upset Google’s dominance in search.”
Google currently has about 90% of the search engine market and still has an advantage: Google has a 26-year head start in experience over OpenAI, Rollison says, and “the success of SearchGPT will hinge on the company bringing a different approach to the search experience that users find truly refreshing and new.
SearchGPT in action. Photo Credit: OpenAI
How Is SearchGPT Different From Google Search?
The SearchGPT experience differs from Google in that the chatbot remains conversational. Instead of a page full of links, SearchGPT responds with a condensed summary of information that it has picked out from select sources. Users can give SearchGPT follow-up questions if the information it provides isn’t what they were looking for.
Related: ChatGPT Finally Gives Businesses What They’ve Been Asking For
The AI chatbot also doesn’t have ads or promoted answers yet, which further declutters its search response.
Alon Yamin, co-founder and CEO of AI plagiarism detection tool Copyleaks, told Entrepreneur that SearchGPT would “undoubtedly” affect traditional search engines like Google, but that it’s unclear how it would affect SEO or search engine optimization.
“As AI tools become more sophisticated and part of our day-to-day lives, distinguishing between AI-generated and human-created content, properly attributing original sources or authors, and empowering overall originality becomes even more critical,” Yamin stated.
ChatGPT has 200 million weekly active users. 92% of Fortune 500 companies use OpenAI’s products.
Related: Here’s How the CEOs of Salesforce and Nvidia Use ChatGPT in Their Daily Lives