OpenAI Enables Web Browsing for ChatGPT

Key Takeaways

* OpenAI introduces web browsing capabilities for ChatGPT on September 27, 2023.

* The feature is immediately available for Plus and Enterprise users.

* OpenAI aims to address the existing knowledge gap in ChatGPT with this update.

OpenAI, an artificial intelligence company, recently stated that its ChatGPT model now has the capability to explore the internet. This is a huge advance. This feature was made public on September 27, 2023 via a post on X (which had previously been known as Twitter), and it is first accessible for customers of Plus and Enterprise who are operating under the GPT-4 paradigm. OpenAI has not yet offered any information on whether or not this feature will be made available to users who do not have a premium subscription or whether or not it will be included into the GPT 3.5 model.

Prior to this upgrade, ChatGPT made use of an unchanging knowledge base that was scheduled to expire in 2021. Because of this constraint, users were negatively affected who needed current and up-to-date information for a variety of jobs, including academic research, market analysis, and even just making decisions on a daily basis. The addition of online surfing is intended to close this knowledge gap, which will result in a considerable improvement to both the usability of ChatGPT and the user experience it provides.

Before making the news publicly, OpenAI had already spent many months putting the browsing features of ChatGPT through their paces. According to reports from June 2023, beta versions of the model were being utilized to circumvent paywalls, which raises ethical considerations and concerns. In addition, the model had shown a propensity to "hallucinate," or mix together current and previous knowledge, which presented difficulties in terms of guaranteeing the veracity of the information that was delivered.

Following close on the heals of OpenAI's announcement on September 25 that ChatGPT would also be receiving a multimodal upgrade, which would enable it to handle more than just text, this browsing functionality was introduced. This points to a more expansive plan on the part of OpenAI to make ChatGPT a more adaptable tool for both consumers and corporations, which might possibly open up new pathways for the use of AI in a variety of different industries.

The incorporation of online surfing into ChatGPT has the potential to serve as a model for other AI models, expanding the realm of possibility in terms of real-time information collection and processing. It also raises issues about the ethical implications that come along with such capabilities, such as the possibility for abuse and the privacy of the data.