OpenAI, the company behind the famous chatbot chatGPT, has taken another step forward in the field of artificial intelligence with the launch of ChatGPT Search. This new feature, integrated directly into the ChatGPT interface, allows users to search the web in a more natural and conversational way. The site to reach the "search" function is therefore always the same. The choice of whether to use ChatGPT in the classic way or to exploit it to launch the semantic interpretation of the query is reserved only to those who had signed up to the waiting list and in any case to selected registered users.
How ChatGPT Search Works
Unlike traditional search engines, which return a list of links, ChatGPT Search provides direct answers to the user's questions, synthesizing the most relevant information from a wide range of online sources. OpenAI's artificial intelligence is able to understand the context requests and offer personalized results, adapting to the writing style and preferences of each user. ChatGPT is not the only system that deviates from the typical functioning of a search engine. In 2009, Wolfram Alpha was already able to interpret the keywords entered by the user and directly propose an answer instead of offering a list of links to other websites. A computational knowledge engine, which then remained relegated to the world of science and especially mathematics, but truly revolutionary from the point of view of implementation.
What sources does ChatGPT Search use?
OpenAI has not disclosed the specific sources used by ChatGPT Search. Some partnerships are clearly “suspicious,” however, it is likely that the model relies on a large corpus of data from the web, including news articles, web pages, books, and scientific papers, taken from proprietary platforms that may not directly be in agreement with OpenAI. It is important to note that SearchGPT is about research and is separate from the training of OpenAI’s basic generative AI models. Sites may appear in search results even if they choose not to participate to training generative artificial intelligence.
OpenAI has also thought of having a special eye on the online publishers. All online publishing entities, from news agencies to newspapers, from publishing companies to bloggers, play a key role in ChatGPT Search, and for this reason, OpenAI has announced that there will at least be the ability for publishers to manage how they appear in SearchGPT.
When will ChatGPT Search be available?
The search functionality is a test. OpenAI will collect all the data from the experience of selected users and, in a few months, it will be available to everyone. The idea is to push users to register (the users counted so far are just 300.000), both for statistical reasons and for a better experience during the search.
What will happen to SEO?
It is worth asking whether OpenAI will immediately enter into commercial agreements with publishers or will go through an initial phase of “banditry”, as has already happened in the case of Google. In fact, the query results, following a classic search, are found on the publishers' respective sites. It is only the list of sources that is found in the search engine's domain. With a semantic search, the results will remain on the OpenAI platform. In short, sources will not enjoy any click-through returns, except in the case of curious users or those who want to learn more. A better positioning of a site compared to another will not have any advantage because it will be a superficial presence.
SEO is far from its funeral at the moment, but the future of the Internet, more than ever, sees a unthinkable revolution which…is not Google branded.
