ChatGPT gains real-time online browsing capabilities to compete with Google Bard and Microsoft Bing AI

Author: Divyanshi Sharma If ChatGPT has a limitation, it is that its knowledge base is only available until September 2021. The AI chatbot will currently provide the following message if you ask it a question regarding current events:

I'm sorry for any inconvenience, but because I'm using an AI language model, my responses are produced using information up to September 2021. I am unable to deliver the most recent news updates or real-time information. Hence, to receive the most recent information on current affairs, I advise checking reputable news sources or doing an online search.

This will soon change, though, as OpenAI recently revealed that ChatGPT will soon include a web-browsing capability that would enable users to do real-time information searches. But there's a problem. Only ChatGPT Plus subscribers will have access to this feature.

Users will also have access to ChatGPT Plugins in addition to real-time web browsing.

"If you are a ChatGPT Plus customer, enjoy early access to experimental new features, which may alter throughout development," the business writes in a note to users. During the course of the following week, we'll be rolling out a new beta panel in your settings that will allow you to access these capabilities. This panel will be available to all Plus users. You'll be able to test out two new features once the beta panel becomes available to you:

"Web browsing: Try a new version of ChatGPT that understands when and how to search the web to respond to inquiries on current events and themes.

Try a new version of ChatGPT that automatically detects when and how to use any third-party plugins you enable.

Microsoft's Bing and Google's Bard
Real-time online browsing is all ChatGPT has disclosed so far, but Google's Bard and Microsoft's Bing are already offering it. In an effort to revolutionise the way people conduct online research, both chatbots were released with the ability to browse the web in real-time. It's interesting to note that Bing and Bard both debuted in February of this year around the same time and have both announced updates recently.

While Bard can accept voice inputs and will soon launch the image production feature, Bing can generate images based on text questions.

Yet, Bing and Bard are facing off against each other in the online search market. Google Search dominated the market for more than a decade. Nevertheless, everything changed when the brand-new Bing with AI arrived. The competition for control of the online search market is only going to get more intense now that ChatGPT will also start offering real-time information soon.