OpenAI, the start-up behind ChatGPT, announced on Thursday that it is testing SearchGPT, a “temporary prototype” of new AI search features, to compete against Google Search and Microsoft Bing.
“We’re testing SearchGPT, a prototype of new search features designed to combine the strength of our AI models with information from the web to give you fast and timely answers with clear and relevant sources,” OpenAI wrote in an official blog post.
In other words, SearchGPT will quickly and directly reply to users’ questions with the latest information available from the web while providing clear links to relevant sources.
As with ChatGPT, users will also be able to ask follow-up questions in SearchGPT, as one does in a conversation with a person, with the shared context building with each query.
The blog post adds that the SearchGPT was developed in collaboration with several news organizations, including The Atlantic and News Corp., with whom OpenAI has a new multiyear licensing deal.
Besides launching the SearchGPT prototype, OpenAI is also introducing a way for publishers to manage how they appear in answers generated by the new search engine.
It is designed to help users connect with publishers by prominently citing and linking to them in searches, with responses having “clear, in-line, named attribution and links” to those sources that would let users know where the information is coming from.
This can help users to quickly engage with even more results in a sidebar with source links.
“We are committed to a thriving ecosystem of publishers and creators. We hope to help users discover publisher sites and experiences, while bringing more choice to search,” OpenAI added.
“AI search is going to become one of the key ways that people navigate the internet, and it’s crucial, in these early days, that the technology is built in a way that values, respects, and protects journalism and publishers. We look forward to partnering with OpenAI in the process, and creating a new way for readers to discover The Atlantic,” Nicholas Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic, said in the OpenAI blog post.
Currently, OpenAI has made SearchGPT available to a small group of users and publishers to get feedback so that the best search features can be integrated directly into the ChatGPT AI model in the future.
Those interested in trying SearchGPT can sign up for the waitlist here.
