In a move to enhance the functionality of its AI-driven service, OpenAI has incorporated a new feature into ChatGPT Plus, the advanced version of its AI chatbot, enabling subscribers to enjoy browsing capabilities for question responses. The new feature, termed 'Browsing,' leverages Microsoft's Bing as its search engine to fetch information from the web.
The web-browsing integration can be activated by navigating to the New Features area in the application settings, opting for “GPT-4” via the model switcher, and selecting “Browse with Bing” from a drop-down list. This enhancement is accessible on both iOS and Android platforms of the ChatGPT application.
This addition stands to be especially useful for question-and-answer exchanges related to trending events or for obtaining information that extends beyond the bot's initial training dataset. When the Browsing feature is deactivated, the knowledge pool of the bot is limited until the year 2021.
The collaboration between Microsoft and OpenAI had previously indicated the arrival of the browsing feature during the current year, primarily intended for web users. Certainly, with the incorporation of this feature, the value of ChatGPT as a useful assistant, particularly for research purposes, has escalated. The app, without this addition, was incapable of providing accurate or relevant responses to inquiries like 'Who won the 2023 March Madness women's tournament?'
However, the latest update has turned heads in the tech world as the browsing feature specifically uses Bing as its search engine. This provokes conversations about the possibility of Bing's search results primarily serving the business interests of Microsoft, which has also invested a massive $10 billion in the startup.
While Microsoft continues to enhance Bing's backend algorithms, the introduction of Bing-exclusive browsing in the ChatGPT can be concerning when Bing experiences a miss, leaving users with no alternative search options.
Apart from the Bing-based Browsing feature, in the latest updates to ChatGPT, selecting a search outcome now redirects the user to the corresponding conversation segment. OpenAI has announced that these changes, including the Browsing feature, are being deployed this week.
Universal access to multiple search engines or the potential inclusion of advanced no-code platforms like AppMaster — which lets users visually create data models and business logic for backend apps — could also contribute to the further advancement and versatility of the ChatGPT app.
