OpenAI adds LLM-based search engine to ChatGPT

OpenAI today presented proprietary search engine for the ChatGPT chatbot service.

This move is not unexpected. At the end of July OpenAI debuted SearchGPT’s standalone search engine, which the company called a “temporary prototype.” The company said its goal with the project was to gather user feedback before incorporating key service features into ChatGPT.

ChatGPT search, as the chatbot’s new built-in search engine is called, runs automatically in response to some queries. This feature can also be activated manually using the new button below the ChatGPT prompt window. Additionally, users can set it as the default search engine in their browser and enter queries through the URL bar.

The feature works similarly to other AI-powered search tools, such as Google LLC’s AI Reviews. When a user enters a query, ChatGPT search does not return a list of links to web pages, but rather answers the question directly in natural language format. Answers vary in length, from a few sentences to several paragraphs.

Depending on the request, ChatGPT Search may add additional elements to its response. When a user asks about a company’s stock price, the feature can display a graph that visualizes how the stock’s price has changed over the past few days. ChatGPT also has special quick response formats for several other query categories, including weather, sports, news, and maps.

A “Sources” button below each AI-generated answer allows users to view the web pages from which the ChatGPT search collected information. Citations appear in the sidebar next to the query results.

Under the hood, ChatGPT Search runs on a modified version of OpenAI’s large GPT-4o language model. The company says it tuned the model using synthetic data or AI-generated training data. This information was created using a machine learning technique called model distillation.

Model distillation allows developers to transfer knowledge between LLMs. OpenAI used this method to equip the version of GPT-4o that powers ChatGPT search with knowledge from o1-preview, a model optimized for reasoning. debuted in September. Sharing information among LLMs in this way helps improve the quality of their responses.

OpenAI knowledge base entry for ChatGPT Search states that the feature can “pass off unrelated search queries to third-party search providers such as Bing” while processing queries. This suggests that this feature uses Bing to answer some of the users’ questions. Developed by Bing Microsoft Corp. has invested more than $13 billion in OpenAI over the past few years.

ChatGPT Search is available to Plus and Team tier users based on the chatbot subscription at launch. OpenAI will roll it out to its two other paid plans, Edu and Enterprise, in a few weeks. Free version users will have access to the tool in the coming months.

OpenAI’s plans for ChatGPT search also include adding features. The company intends to add a capability that will use the reasoning-optimized LLM o1 series to help users conduct research. In addition, OpenAI will improve ChatGPT search when processing shopping and travel queries.

“Early results from Bing search integrated into ChatGPT have been shaky, and the incredibly complex demands of maintaining a world-class search platform touches areas of expertise where OpenAI has not yet demonstrated its capabilities,” said Damian Rollison, chief marketing officer. ideas from marketing technology company SoCi. “SearchGPT’s success will likely depend on how it offers a different approach to search that users find truly fresh and new.”

Image: OpenAI