OpenAI launches ChatGPT search feature, Google’s dominant position trembles

According to Zhitong Finance APP, OpenAI announced on Thursday the launch of a search feature in ChatGPT. This means OpenAI will compete with search engine "giants" like Google (GOOGL.US) and Microsoft's (MSFT.US) Bing. In fact, when OpenAI launched ChatGPT two years ago, investors began to worry that Google might lose some market share in the search field. OpenAI stated that users can obtain quick and timely answers through links to relevant online resources, "ChatGPT will search the web based on your inquiries, and you can also manually select search by clicking the web search icon." The company added that the new search feature not only has the advantage of a natural language interface but also combines the value of news related to sports, current events, and stocks. OpenAI explained that users typically need to search multiple times to find the information they want, but now they can ask questions in a more natural conversational manner while chatting with ChatGPT. ChatGPT can choose to respond using information from the web and can delve deeper into follow-up questions, considering the complete context of the conversation to provide better answers. The search feature is set to launch on the ChatGPT website as well as in the ChatGPT desktop and mobile applications; starting Thursday, all ChatGPT Plus and Team users, as well as users on the waiting list for SearchGPT (the prototype of OpenAI's search feature), will have access. Users of the enterprise and educational versions of ChatGPT will gain access in the coming weeks, and the feature will be rolled out for free to all users in the coming months. In terms of content collaboration, OpenAI has engaged in extensive partnerships with the news industry, including partners such as News Corp, Time Magazine, Condé Nast, Associated Press, Reuters, Financial Times, Axel Springer, Dotdash Meredith, The Atlantic, GEDI, Hearst, Vox Media, as well as French media Le Monde and Spanish media Prisa (El País). The company also stated that any website or publisher can choose to appear in ChatGPT searches. Louis Dreyfus, CEO and Publisher of Le Monde, stated, "We believe that in the near future, AI search will become the primary way to access information, and collaborating with OpenAI will place Le Monde at the forefront of this transformation."