In a recent announcement on X, formerly known as Twitter, OpenAI revealed that ChatGPT has gained the capability to access the internet for real-time information, eliminating its previous limitation of relying solely on data up to September 2021—a significant advancement for the software.
ChatGPT will harness the power of Microsoft’s Bing search engine to process user queries and extract relevant information from search results to generate responses.
This update is presently accessible to premium users enrolled in ChatGPT’s “Plus” and “Enterprise” plans and is slated to become available to all users in the near future. OpenAI has not disclosed the specific timeline for the rollout of this update.
ChatGPT’s knowledge cutoff date of September 2021, which prevented it from addressing certain inquiries regarding recent developments or events, had been a notable limitation for some users. They expressed concerns that this restriction could hinder their research capabilities when using the software.
Meanwhile, reports from the Wall Street Journal suggest that OpenAI is currently engaged in discussions regarding a possible share sale. If successful, this sale could potentially value the AI company at up to $90 billion, marking a threefold increase from its valuation earlier in January.
The incorporation of Bing into ChatGPT’s internet browsing feature can be attributed to Microsoft’s significant investment in OpenAI. Microsoft currently holds a 49% stake in OpenAI, and the company has communicated to its investors its ambitious revenue projections. According to reports from the Journal, OpenAI anticipates generating $1 billion in revenue this year and expects to reach even higher revenue figures in the following years.
