OpenAI is developing an AI-powered chatbot feature called ChatGPT that can search the web and cite sources in the results, potentially competing directly with Google and AI research startup Perplexity, Bloomberg reported.
This feature allows users to ask questions on ChatGPT and receive answers using details from the Internet and citing sources such as Wikipedia and blog articles.
This product version also uses images as well as written answers to related questions.
When a user asks ChatGPT how to replace a door handle, the results may include a diagram illustrating the task.
The Information reported in February that a research product was in development, but details about how the product would work were not previously revealed.
OpenAI is under intense pressure to expand the capabilities of its popular product as competitors deploy chatbots, and research emerges as a major focus for the AI industry.
Startup Perplexity gained popularity by offering an AI-powered search engine that focuses on accuracy and citations.
Google is also looking to use artificial intelligence to reinvent the search experience, and is expected to unveil its latest plans for the Gemini model at its annual I/O event next week.
There is a lot of speculation on social media about OpenAI's research projects. Some X users pointed to the presence of the search.chatgpt.com page as an indication that the search functionality may come from OpenAI.
Although the company briefly redirected the page to the official website chatgpt.com and users were able to interact with the chatbot, site visitors saw a small error message on the page.
The search functionality expands on what OpenAI currently offers for some users, with the ChatGPT bot being able to automatically retrieve online search results for certain searches, but the functionality is currently limited to paying users.