OpenAI's ChatGPT now has access to the entire internet, allowing users to enter search queries and get up-to-date information. However, there is a catch.
What Happened: Microsoft Corp.-backed (NASDAQ: MSFT) OpenAI now allows ChatGPT to access the internet to answer user queries, but there is a catch - you can use ChatGPT with the internet only if you are a paying customer.
Essentially, if you use the free version of ChatGPT, you are still stuck with ChatGPT 3.5 with a data cutoff of Sept. 2021.
OpenAI has plans to expand the internet browsing ability to all users in the future, but for now, only Plus and Enterprise users can access the internet.
Alternatively, if you want to use ChatGPT technology with internet access but without paying for it, you can use Bing Chat. ChatGPT also powers it, so you get a similar experience.
Why It Matters: This is not the first time that OpenAI has added internet browsing functionality to ChatGPT - back in March, OpenAI launched a plugin called Browsing that used Bing API to access the internet.
However, it was disabled within a few days when it was used to bypass website paywalls.
Now that ChatGPT can connect to the internet again, it can be used to plan vacations, do research with the latest information, or ask things like which iPhone model you should buy.