ChatGPT's Internet Browsing Capability are back

OpenAI has introduced a transformative feature to ChatGPT, enabling it to access the entire internet, thereby significantly expanding its domain of knowledge and its utility to users. This enhancement is a pivotal development, allowing ChatGPT to provide more current, authoritative, and diverse information, complete with direct links to sources.

Enhanced Access to Information

Previously, ChatGPT's knowledge was confined to information up to September 2021. However, with this new feature, ChatGPT can now browse the internet, thanks to an integration with Microsoft’s Bing search engine. This capability is available to ChatGPT Plus subscribers and ChatGPT Enterprise users, offering them a richer and more versatile experience.

Return of Web Browsing Feature

ChatGPT had initially introduced a web browsing feature in March 2023, which utilized the Microsoft Bing API and a text-based browser to search the web and summarize information for users. However, this feature was disabled within a few days due to users deploying it to bypass the paywalls of leading news publishers. The feature has now returned, with exclusions to those sites, recognizing the “robots.txt” code that website owners can add to exclude web crawlers from searching and indexing their content.

User Experience and Interface

The ChatGPT interface allows users to take advantage of browsing without leaving the ChatGPT interface and its many other features, offering a seamless and integrated user experience. This comes as a significant enhancement, especially after the recent introduction of features allowing ChatGPT to scan and analyze images and conduct conversations over audio.

Microsoft’s Bing Chat and OpenAI Collaboration

It is noteworthy that Microsoft’s Bing Chat, introduced in February, is powered by a new, next-generation OpenAI large language model, which is more powerful than ChatGPT and has included the ability to browse the web with ChatGPT-style functionality and citations. This collaboration underscores the synergies between Bing Chat powered by OpenAI and ChatGPT browsing with Bing Chat, providing users with versatile options and functionalities.

Conclusion

The introduction of internet access to ChatGPT marks a significant stride in AI development, allowing users to access a wealth of current and authoritative information directly through the platform. This feature, coupled with the recent enhancements in visual and auditory interaction, positions ChatGPT as a versatile and comprehensive tool, catering to diverse user needs and applications. As OpenAI continues to innovate and enhance ChatGPT’s capabilities, it opens up new possibilities and avenues for AI interaction and information access.

Further Reading

For more detailed insights and information on ChatGPT's internet access feature, please refer to the official article by VentureBeat.