OpenAI Launches Internet Browsing Feature in ChatGPT
OpenAI has officially launched its internet-browsing feature in ChatGPT, the popular generative AI chatbot. This comes three weeks after reintroducing the feature in beta, following a hiatus of several months.
Until now, ChatGPT has been limited to data up to September 2021, making it unable to function as a real-time search engine. However, in March, OpenAI began incorporating internet services into ChatGPT, though this move came with inherent risks due to the uncurated nature of the live web. There were concerns about potential abuse by bad actors and algorithmic chaos.
In May, OpenAI started rolling out web search capabilities via Bing, which is owned by Microsoft, OpenAI’s corporate backer. Access to the ChatGPT mobile app was added in late June. However, the feature was quickly removed when it was discovered that ChatGPT could display paywalled content.
In late September, OpenAI resumed rolling out the Browse with Bing feature after fine-tuning how ChatGPT follows content owners’ instructions. It now promises to adhere to the directives specified in a site-owner’s Robots.txt file, similar to traditional web crawlers.
OpenAI has now made Browse with Bing available to all Plus and Enterprise subscribers without requiring them to toggle the beta switch in settings.
In related news, OpenAI has also transitioned DALL-E 3 into beta. DALL-E is a text-to-image generator, and the latest version integrates with ChatGPT. This means that users can provide text-prompts to ChatGPT, which will assist DALL-E in generating images that align closely with the user’s intent. Additionally, users can receive images as part of their text-based queries without switching between apps. DALL-E 3 is currently available in beta on the web and mobile platforms.
These updates represent a broader expansion of ChatGPT’s capabilities, moving it beyond being a pure text-based generator. OpenAI has equipped the chatbot with verbal conversation abilities, allowing users to have spoken interactions with it. ChatGPT also supports image-based searches, enabling users to upload a picture and obtain information about the object or find similar items.
OpenAI’s goal is to transform ChatGPT into a fully integrated, real-time, and multimedia generative search engine.
Image Credits: Didem Mente/Anadolu Agency / Getty Images