- OpenAI's ChatGPT is about to get a whole lot better.
- A new web-browsing feature for ChatGPT Plus users that will allow them to access real-time information.
ChatGPT is about to get a whole lot better.
OpenAI, the company behind the AI chatbot, announced it will be rolling out new features to ChatGPT Plus users this week.
Users who pay for ChatGPT Plus, which uses model GPT-4, will have access to a web-browsing feature that will provide up-to-date information.
Web browsing has the potential to be a game changer — particularly in making ChatGPT a promising search engine.
Prior to the update, ChatGPT was limited to what it could answer, as it was only trained on data up until 2021. This made it useless when it came to information about current events and real-time developments.
With ChatGPT's web browser, users can ask multiple specific questions — like who won the Oscars for best actor, soundtrack, and picture this year — and the bot will summarize the answer, as well as multiple news articles it deems relevant in a matter of seconds. If it doesn't provide the desired result, a user can prompt a more nuanced answer.
The news comes as users are seemingly increasingly unhappy with Google's search engine. Some users have gone to Reddit to complain about it, saying that Google is "horrible for discovering the internet," has "gotten terrible for nuanced interesting queries," and "returns endless listicles and marketing BS."
ChatGPT Plus users will also have access to more than 70 third-party plug-ins for web services like Expedia, Kayak, and Instacart. With these plug-ins, users will be able to prompt ChatGPT to perform tasks on specific websites.
OpenAI's demonstration of its OpenTable and Instacart plug-ins, for instance, shows a user looking for vegan food in San Francisco. The user asks ChatGPT to suggest "one great restaurant" for Saturday and a "simple recipe" for Sunday. In a matter of seconds, the plug-in recommends a restaurant and generates a chickpea salad recipe, including a list of ready-to-order groceries on Instacart.
ChatGPT's new features have the potential to make the lives of millions of users easier. Before the announcement, users flocked to the chatbot to boost their work productivity, enhance their dating profiles, and get weight-loss tips. With the plug-ins, users will now be able to plan summer vacations, find online shopping deals, and discover new restaurants on existing platforms, according to OpenAI.
ChatGPT Plus users will be able to use these features by clicking on their ChatGPT profile, pressing "Settings," then going to the "Beta features" tabs.
The news comes just days after Google announced it will be making Bard, its ChatGPT rival, available in 180 countries. The search giant also announced it will be launching an AI-powered search engine and will integrate generative AI features across its existing workspace tools that can craft e-mails on Gmail, analyze data on Sheets, and more.
The widespread access to OpenAI's and Google's new AI tools signals that the AI wars are only continuing to heat up as Big Rech companies compete to make the most powerful and user-friendly AI.