OpenAI Rolls Out SearchGPT To More Users

Have you noticed OpenAI’s latest redesign of ChatGPT?

If you’ve logged in recently, you might have spotted two major changes.

First, there’s the new Canvasfeature that automatically opens a new interface on the right side. This addition lets you work on longer documents without having to scroll up and down through the chat. It’s a small but handy update.
Second, the prompt field has moved up and now sits in the center of the screen.

Take a look at the latest user interface below:

Have you noticed the resemblance of this new layout to Google and Perplexity AI? ChatGPT now looks like a search engine.

Now when you hit the ‘/’ key on your keyboard, you can toggle a new “Search” feature that lets ChatGPT access the web.

Let’s break down what this all means.

What is the Search Feature in ChatGPT?

SearchGPT allows ChatGPT to access real-time web data. Similar to how Perplexity works, it uses a large language model that searches the web for you, gives you immediate answers, and includes the sources it pulls from.

The feature was initially made accessible to 10,000 users and added a waitlist form for those who wanted to get early access.

OpenAI has partnered with well-known publishers like The Wall Street Journal, The Associated Press, Vox Media, and Time to make sure users receive credible, trustworthy information.

“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

When you ask SearchGPT a question, it doesn’t just pull information from random sources. Each response comes with clear, in-line attribution and links, so you know exactly where the information is coming from.

You can even dive deeper by clicking on the source links that appear below the searched sites dropdown, giving you more ways to explore the topic.

How to Access SearchGPT

Accessing SearchGPT is super simple. When you’re in ChatGPT, press the ‘/’ key and select the Search option from the menu.

It works much like any other search engine: you ask your question, and within seconds, SearchGPT provides an answer, complete with sources.

You can even ask follow-up questions to dig deeper into the topic. This creates a conversational search experience, much more interactive than scrolling through traditional search results.

SearchGPT vs. Perplexity vs. Google

So how does SearchGPT compare to Perplexity AI and Google?

SearchGPT is built to give you concise, sourced answers. Each answer has a link to the original source, and you can click on it to verify the information. It’s ideal for real-time answers and quick fact-checking.

Plus, with follow-up questions, you can refine your query without starting over. This conversational nature makes it feel like you’re talking to a super-advanced version of Google that remembers what you’ve been asking.

Perplexity, on the other hand, is a more academic-style search engine. It emphasizes scholarly articles and detailed research, which can be useful for more in-depth queries. Perplexity is often preferred for research-heavy tasks where you need deeper sources

Google, of course, is still the giant in the room. Despite their recent efforts to integrate generative AI into search results, they haven’t quite nailed the seamless experience that users want.

Google’s generative search rollout was clunky and received a lot of backlash due to errors and irrelevant responses. But Google’s breadth of information and infrastructure are still unmatched.

Is This the End of Google?

Google isn’t going anywhere soon. The tech giant still controls over 90% of the search market. They’ve been at this for decades, and their search algorithms are constantly evolving.

However, with AI search engines like SearchGPT gaining ground, Google is under pressure to step up its game. OpenAI’s move to partner with publishers for credible sources is a smart strategy that could chip away at Google’s dominance.

This focus on verified results means that when you use SearchGPT, you’re less likely to run into hallucinated answers — something that AI-driven tools have struggled with in the past.

Also, Google is still the default for most people. It has the advantage of being everywhere — from your phone’s browser to your smart speaker. SearchGPT is still in its early stages and would need time to gain that level of trust from users.

SearchGPT Isn’t There Yet

I’ve been testing SearchGPT in the past couple of hours and here are some of my observations:

Quality of the answer: One major downside is that SearchGPT’s answer quality doesn’t quite match the depth or precision of Perplexity Pro. Although it’s comparable to the base version of Perplexity, users who rely on it for more complex or nuanced queries will notice a difference.
Slow response: Another pain point is speed. When using SearchGPT, the time it takes to process a query and return an answer can feel excruciatingly slow. This delay disrupts the flow of interaction, particularly when you’re in the middle of a deep dive into a topic.
Lack of contextual understanding: In some cases, it fails to recognize the continuity of a conversation. If you ask a follow-up question, instead of understanding it in the context of your previous query, the model often treats it as a fresh, standalone question.
No follow up suggestions: Unlike Perplexity, which often suggests follow-up questions to help you refine your search, SearchGPT doesn’t offer this feature. This lack of guidance leaves users to figure out how to best phrase or narrow down their queries on their own.

Here’s another weird workflow I noticed while using the search feature: If you switch the language model from GPT-4o to “ChatGPT o1-preview,” the search indicator remains but does not actually search the web for results.

It returns results from its domain knowledge, which isn’t what the users expect.

The correct behavior should be to disable the search function once the user switches to “ChatGPT o1-preview” because this model does not have the capability to search the web.

Final Thoughts

I’m really glad OpenAI has finally rolled out SearchGPT. I’ve been wanting to test it out ever since they announced it in July 2024.

In its current state, SearchGPT is a good first step for OpenAI into the world of AI-powered search, but it’s not quite ready to become anyone’s go-to tool for complex, real-time queries.

The accuracy, speed, and ability to handle conversational context just aren’t there yet. For now, if you need deep insights or faster results, tools like Perplexity Pro or Google remain the better options.