OpenAI's ChatGPT, previously confined to knowledge up to September 2021, can now browse the internet to provide real-time, current, and authoritative information directly, addressing user concerns regarding outdated or stale information.
Several prominent news sites, including CNN, The Guardian, New York Times, Reuters, and Washington Post, have blocked ChatGPT’s web crawler, reflecting skepticism and concerns regarding the chatbot’s capability to access and deliver accurate and trustworthy information. This raises questions about ChatGPT's utility in providing efficient customer service and handling inquiries effectively.
Initially, the advanced browsing feature was available exclusively to paying subscribers of ChatGPT Plus and Enterprise services. However, OpenAI plans to make this feature available to all users, potentially democratizing access to real-time, accurate information across its user base.
ChatGPT breaks through time, extending its capabilities beyond 2021 data
Unleashing a wave of real-time internet browsing, ChatGPT addresses mixed reactions with promises of current and authoritative information amidst ongoing debates over its accuracy and worth
At a glance
With netizens still in mixed reactions to the Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer developed by an AI research company Open AI, it was learned recently that ChatGPT is no longer limited to data mining from 2021.
"ChatGPT can now browse the internet to provide you with current and authoritative information, complete with direct links to sources," OpenAI said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. "It is no longer limited to data before September 2021."
ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot that uses natural language processing to create human-like conversational dialogue, and can respond to questions and compose various written content, including articles, social media posts, essays, code and emails.
The still debatable AI chatbot, before the recent announcement, would inform users that it could only provide accurate information up to the September cutoff date in 2021 -- allegedly as safety net against inaccuracy in data from the internet. But while safe, users complained of lacking the updates and informations needed for their use.
But now, ChatGPT can fetch data directly from the internet and gather up-to-date information in real-time, according to its creator OpenAI. It can now browse the web and integrate up-to-date information into its responses
OpenAI launched the update for its paying subscribers in June, but suspended it after users managed to bypass paywalls on internet content.
OpenAI partner Microsoft already offers Bing Chat, an integration of GPT-4, the language model used to develop ChatGPT, with its internet search engine, as does Google with its conversational robot Bard.
The feature "Browse with Bing" is also reserved for paying subscribers of ChatGPT Plus and Enterprise services, but OpenAI said it would soon be available to all users.
ChatGPT is still an ongoing debate in newsrooms as far as its worth and accuracy are concerned what with the internet, the chatbot's main "well of information" still littered with both disinformation and fake information.
News sites CNN, The Guardian, New York Times, Reuters, and Washington Post have blocked ChatGPT's web crawler already, and others reportedly are joining the list -- putting into jeopardy ChatGPT's worth in providing faster and more efficient customer service.
Chatbots powered by ChatGPT were initially reported to have the ability to handle a large volume of inquiries and respond to them fast and accurately.