OpenAI has taken ChatGPT a step further with the launch of SearchGPT, a feature that allows users to search the web directly from the chatbot interface.

The results are filtered and processed by artificial intelligence, with direct links to sources, creating a direct challenge to Google, which recently launched its AI Overview service in Argentina with similar capabilities. 

The company started developing this search tool in early 2024 to compete with Google, according to The Information. By July, OpenAI presented SearchGPT as a prototype combining the power of its AI models with internet information, aiming to provide “clear” and “relevant” sources. 

With this feature, ChatGPT users can access updated answers quickly, including direct links to sources. The AI takes the full chat context into account to deliver more precise follow-up responses. Searches can be performed automatically or manually, and the ‘Sources’ button allows users to view references in a side panel. 

The search model is an optimized version of GPT-4o, trained with advanced synthetic data generation techniques and distillation of results, combining external search providers with content from OpenAI partners.

The feature is already available to ChatGPT Plus and Teams subscribers and will expand to Enterprise and Edu users in the coming weeks, with a global free rollout expected soon. 

Google’s response

Meanwhile, Google has expanded AI Overview to over 100 countries, including Argentina, with support for multiple languages, including Spanish. AI Overview provides summaries powered by artificial intelligence from Gemini, delivering quick, concrete answers, links to relevant sites, and suggestions for activities like event planning, recipes, or discovering new content. 

Since its U.S. launch, Google reports that AI Overview has made search results “more useful” and increased traffic to supporting websites. With the global rollout, the company expects to reach over one billion monthly active users. 

SearchGPT represents a shift in how users access web information. While Google strengthens its traditional search engine with AI Overview, ChatGPT offers processed, organized, and contextualized answers directly from AI, redefining competition in artificial intelligence-driven information retrieval. 

Both companies illustrate how artificial intelligence is transforming information access, accelerating precise and personalized responses, and setting a new standard for digital interaction worldwide.