one year on
OpenAI announces SearchGPT prototype, taking direct aim at Google search
The AI startup unveils a search prototype with cited answers as Alphabet shares fall more than 3%.
OpenAI today unveiled SearchGPT, a prototype search engine that provides fast, cited answers to user queries, currently being tested with a small group of users. The company says it aims to give users ‘fast and timely answers with clear and relevant sources’ and a more natural, intuitive way to search with follow-up questions. OpenAI plans to eventually integrate the tool into ChatGPT.
The announcement sent Alphabet shares down more than 3% on Thursday, reflecting long-standing investor concern that OpenAI could erode Google’s dominance in search. Google recently launched its own AI Overviews feature, which has faced public criticism for generating nonsensical or inaccurate results with no opt-out option.
The record
Wrote on X that 'We think there is room to make search much better than it is today.'
Head of research at Emerj said Google has been 'shaking in their boots' and 'fumbling' since generative AI emerged
One year later — open only if you can handle spoilers
SearchGPT never launched publicly as a standalone product; its capabilities were folded into ChatGPT's browse feature in late 2025. Google's AI Overviews continued to roll out but remained controversial. OpenAI's apparent factual error in the demo became a recurring talking point for critics of AI-generated search.