ChatGPT Plus Subscribers to Receive Early Access to Experimental New Features
OpenAI’s popular chatbot, ChatGPT, is set to roll out two new experimental features for its ChatGPT Plus subscribers. The features, web integration and plugins will be available in beta next week.
Once the beta panel appears in ChatGPT Plus subscribers' settings, they can try the two new features. The web browsing capability of the chatbot is expected to be the more popular and interesting feature for most users.
According to an official blog post from OpenAI, the new internet-connected version of ChatGPT will be able to browse the internet to answer questions about current events, recent films and TV shows, or topics of interest. The chatbot will know when it lacks information to answer a query and will be able to search the internet for a relevant source or direct users to a helpful webpage.
This feature puts ChatGPT in the same league as Microsoft’s Bing Chat, but without turning it into a search engine. The ability to search the web should make asking for citations easier and more accurate. The chatbot will no longer be restricted to the limited dataset it was trained on.
However, the downside of chatbots having the ability to search the web is that they may not always have the appropriate frame of reference or physical mobility to verify the information. OpenAI is taking a conservative approach by initially testing this feature on a smaller scale, with only ChatGPT Plus subscribers having access and the beta feature being opt-in only.
The hope is that ChatGPT will prioritize reputable sources and avoid incorrect information. With this change, ChatGPT may become a smarter chatbot with more real-life applications.
