OpenAI's "12 Days of OpenAI" event continues to bring exciting updates to ChatGPT. This time, the highly anticipated Search feature has made its way to the free tier, a significant development that is set to reshape the user experience.

Unlock the Power of ChatGPT with Enhanced Search

ChatGPT's Search Feature: A Game-Changer

During the "12 Days of OpenAI" event, OpenAI has been rolling out a series of remarkable enhancements to ChatGPT. The latest addition is the Search feature, which was previously exclusive to paid subscribers in the ChatGPT Plus or Pro tiers. Now, it is available to all users for free.Kevin Weil, OpenAI's chief product officer, announced the rollout during Monday's livestream. He emphasized the importance of this feature, stating, "I can't imagine ChatGPT without Search now. I use it so often. I'm so excited to bring it to all of you for free starting today." This move is likely to attract a wider user base and enhance the utility of ChatGPT.The Search feature is designed to search the internet, scrape information from relevant websites, and synthesize that data into a conversational answer. It functions identically to what Perplexity AI offers, enabling ChatGPT to compete with the increasingly popular app. Users can now search in Advanced Voice Mode while in ChatGPT, providing a more seamless and intuitive experience.

Evaluating the Accuracy of ChatGPT Search

While OpenAI is confident in the value of ChatGPT Search to users, a recent study by Columbia University's Tow Center for Digital Journalism has raised some concerns. The study found that ChatGPT's Search feature was "confidently wrong" in many of its answers.The researchers selected 10 articles from each of 20 publishers and extracted specific quotes. These quotes were chosen because they reliably returned the source article among the top three results when entered into search engines like Google or Bing. However, when evaluated against ChatGPT's new search tool, it only accurately identified the original source for each quote in seven out of 153 occasions. In the remaining cases, ChatGPT returned partially or entirely incorrect responses.Only in those seven outputs did the chatbot use qualifying words and phrases like "appears," "it's possible," or "might," or statements like "I couldn't locate the exact article." This highlights the need for further refinement and improvement of the Search feature to ensure its accuracy and reliability.

Other Highlights of the "12 Days of OpenAI"

Monday marks the eighth day of OpenAI's live-streaming event, and so far, the company has unveiled a plethora of exciting features. The full version of its o1 reasoning model has been released, along with a $200/month Pro tier subscription plan. An organizational Projects feature has also been introduced, allowing users to collaborate more effectively.Video capabilities for Advanced Voice Mode have been updated, providing a more immersive and engaging experience. Updates to the Canvas feature have enhanced its functionality, and the debut of the Sora video generation model has opened up new possibilities for content creation.In conclusion, OpenAI's "12 Days of OpenAI" event has been a remarkable journey of innovation and improvement. The addition of the Search feature to the free tier is a significant step forward, but there is still room for refinement. With the continuous development of ChatGPT and its associated features, OpenAI is poised to shape the future of artificial intelligence and natural language processing.