OpenAI has turned ChatGPT into a real-time search engine, offering users up-to-date answers with source links, while partnering with publishers and investing in custom AI chips to support its growth. (Source: Image by RR)

OpenAI Takes on Google with Conversational Search Powered by Advanced AI Model

OpenAI has transformed ChatGPT into an AI-powered search engine, enabling users to obtain real-time information on topics such as news, sports and weather through natural language queries. This new feature, initially available to paying subscribers and later to free users, differs from traditional search engines by delivering curated answers with clear source attribution, allowing users to follow links or ask follow-up questions for deeper insights. This builds on OpenAI’s earlier SearchGPT trial and is powered by a specialized version of GPT-4o, trained to understand context in longer conversations.

In partnership with major publishers like the Associated Press, Axel Springer and Vox Media, OpenAI ensures that ChatGPT highlights and attributes information from credible sources. These partnerships, as reported in venturebeat.com, address concerns about AI usage of publishers’ content, with options for publishers to opt out of AI training while still appearing in search results. Vox Media President Pam Wasserstein noted that this collaboration expands the reach of premium journalism while enhancing audiences’ access to trusted information.

This launch comes as OpenAI invests heavily in custom AI chips and infrastructure, aiming for technological independence by 2026. OpenAI’s reliance on Nvidia processors has prompted deals with AMD, Broadcom, and TSMC to develop custom chips, reducing dependency on external providers. Microsoft, OpenAI’s primary investor with nearly $14 billion invested, noted that this partnership would impact its profits by $1.5 billion this quarter, while OpenAI itself projects $5 billion in annual computing costs, reflecting its commitment to building a sustainable and scalable infrastructure.

OpenAI’s pursuit of custom chips could reduce its computing costs by half and enable advancements specific to GPT models, akin to Apple’s integrated approach to smartphone technology. As ChatGPT’s search capabilities roll out across its website and mobile apps, including to enterprise and educational customers, OpenAI’s advancements position it as a formidable competitor to Google in the search market. With conversational AI becoming more sophisticated and widely accepted, this marks a potential turning point in how people access information online.

read more at venturebeat.com