ChatGPT Search is now free for all, making it a major rival to Google’s search business - Details here

OpenAI's answer to Google Search, ChatGPT Search, is now available for free to all users. Here's how to use it.

ChatGPT Search is now free for all. (AFP)

OpenAI has finally made its AI-powered search engine, ChatGPT Search, free for everyone, marking a major competition for Google. The search feature is integrated directly into the ChatGPT experience on chatgpt.com, as well as the ChatGPT mobile app for Android and iOS. It is optimised for mobile usage, and includes the ability to search using ChatGPT's voice feature. It should be noted that this isn't entirely new—it was released earlier this year for paid subscribers but is now available to all users. Here's all you need to know about ChatGPT Search.

How to Access ChatGPT Search

To access ChatGPT's search functionality, visit ChatGPT.com and log in using your account. You will notice a new globe icon beneath the ‘message ChatGPT' box in the GPT interface. Tap on the globe icon to manually activate the web search option.

If you are using the mobile app, you will see a similar interface. Once activated, users can notice a list of trending searches. Simply type your query and either press Enter or tap the upward-facing arrow on the right-hand side.

After submitting your query, it will generate a response using various sources. The result will include a mix of media—text, images, and videos—alongside a list of cited sources displayed at the bottom.

It's important to note that, depending on your input, ChatGPT can automatically decide to search the web without you explicitly pressing the globe icon.

ChatGPT Search: Contextual Search, Citations 

OpenAI explains that ChatGPT search works contextually, enabling users to search in a conversational manner. You can ask follow-up questions, and ChatGPT will factor in the full context of your previous queries to provide more appropriate answers.

The company collaborates with various popular information providers across different categories. And GPT provides direct links to news articles, blogs, and other sources, allowing users to access services quickly. 

As for the tech behind it, OpenAI states that the search model is a fine-tuned version of GPT-4o, trained using advanced synthetic data generation techniques, including outputs from OpenAI o1-preview.