OpenAI has officially launched its internet browsing feature in ChatGPT, which was initially introduced in May and is now out of beta. This feature had been temporarily paused but was re-released three weeks ago. It is now available to Plus and Enterprise users. Users in these categories no longer need to toggle the beta switch to use browsing; they can select “Browse with Bing” from the GPT-4 model selector.
ChatGPT’s internet browsing feature allows users to receive up-to-date and reliable information from the web, complete with direct links to the sources. It is no longer constrained to data predating September 2021.
In May, OpenAI initiated web search capabilities via Bing, which is owned by Microsoft, OpenAI’s supporter. Access to this feature was later extended to the ChatGPT mobile app in June but was quickly removed after issues were identified, including the display of paywalled content. In late September, OpenAI resumed the rollout of this feature.
To activate the browsing feature, ChatGPT Plus users need to navigate to the ‘new features’ section in the app settings, choose the GPT-4 model in the model switcher, and select ‘Browse with Bing’ from the drop-down menu.
OpenAI and Microsoft had jointly announced the addition of browsing capabilities earlier this year, with an initial focus on web-based content. This feature significantly enhances ChatGPT’s utility as an assistant, particularly for research purposes.
