On Monday, OpenAI announced that it is extending the ChatGPT Search engine to all users, including those on the free tier. The AI search engine was initially launched for paid subscribers in October.

What Happened: As part of its latest announcement under the "12 Days of OpenAI" Livestream, the AI startup also introduced an optimized version of the search feature for mobile users and the ability to search using advanced voice mode.

One of the key improvements for mobile search is the presentation of ChatGPT as a conventional search engine.

When users search for a specific location, such as restaurants or local attractions, ChatGPT will display a list of results with corresponding images, ratings, and hours of operation.

Another update aims to speed up ChatGPT search for specific types of sites, like "hotel booking websites." Instead of immediately generating a response, ChatGPT will first present links to websites before providing more detailed information about each option.

ChatGPT can now also automatically provide real-time information from the web when using Advanced Voice Mode, although this feature is only available to paid users.

OpenAI's ChatGPT has also been gaining traction, with a survey earlier this month revealing that it was the favored search provider for 5% of respondents, an increase from 1% in June.

In previous livestreams, OpenAI also announced the launch of its text-to-image model Sora and a $200 per month ChatGPT Pro subscription.

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Why It Matters: OpenAI's SearchGPT has been poised to disrupt Alphabet Inc-owned (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google's search empire. In 2023, Google Search accounted for $175.0 billion, or 73.6%, of Alphabet's total advertising revenue, which reached $237.9 billion.

ChatGPT Search and Google Search differ in purpose. ChatGPT provides personalized, context-aware responses through conversation, while Google quickly retrieves diverse content using relevance-focused algorithms.

Despite real-time search updates, ChatGPT lacks Google's depth and advanced capabilities. Similarly, despite AI Overviews in play, Google Search doesn't offer users the convenience of conversational dialogues.

Meanwhile, Google also faces increased competition from Jeff Bezos-backed AI startup Perplexity. This AI-driven search engine has grown substantially, with 250 million questions answered in July, surpassing the 500 million queries it handled the previous year.

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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.