OpenAI is enhancing its AI chatbot by adding a new search feature aimed at challenging Google’s dominance in search engines. This update, currently in a trial phase for select users in the US, integrates real-time information into ChatGPT, enabling it to provide up-to-date answers and links.

This feature, which could eventually become a core part of ChatGPT, follows the chatbot’s launch in 2022 and subsequent expansion into various tools, including those for coding, video creation, data analysis, and image generation.

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OpenAI’s new tool allows users to ask follow-up questions and aims to simplify finding relevant information by improving conversational capabilities with real-time web data.

The move reflects a broader trend where AI chatbots are seen as the future of search, challenging Google’s current market dominance, which accounts for over 90% globally. This development has impacted Alphabet’s stock, which dropped nearly 3% following the announcement.

Concerns about AI’s environmental impact and its effect on news companies, which rely on search traffic for revenue, have arisen. OpenAI is addressing these concerns by working with publishers like the Atlantic and News Corp, offering them more control over how they appear in search results.

Despite past controversies over content use, OpenAI remains committed to including media companies in its search results even if they choose not to contribute content for training purposes.