ChatGPT now has direct access to the internet

Update to AI chatbot comes just days after it was given the ability to ‘see, hear and speak’

The app for OpenAI’s ChatGPT on a smartphone screen in Oslo, on 12 July, 2023 (Getty Images)

OpenAI has announced that its viral artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT now has direct access to the internet.

The update comes just days after ChatGPT was given the ability to “see, hear and speak” through new voice and image recognition tools, building on its generative AI tools to bring capabilities similar to virtual assistants like Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri.

Prior to the latest update, ChatGPT’s knowledge base was limited to a data training set that ended in September 2021.

“ChatGPT can now browse the internet to provide you with current and authoritative information, complete with direct links to sources,” OpenAI announced on Wednesday.

“It is no longer limited to data before September 2021. Browsing is particularly useful for tasks that require up-to-date information, such as helping you with technical research, trying to choose a bike, or planning a vacation.”

The web-connected version of ChatGPT is currently only available for paying ChatGPT Plus and ChatGPT Enterprise customers, but OpenAI said it has plans to expand it to non-paying users “soon”.

OpenAI briefly added internet connectivity features for premium ChatGPT users in July, however it was shut off after people exploited it to get around paywalls.

This issue appears to have been fixed, along with other ways to misuse the AI bot, through OpenAI’s evolving AI safety measures.

The update was announced on the same day that Meta unveiled its own series of AI chatbots, which come with different personalities based on real people.

Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg said at the company’s annual Meta Connect conference that the chatbots would be available through its applications Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp.

“This isn’t just going to be about answering queries,” he said. “This is about entertainment.”

Other social media and messaging apps have also introduced AI chatbots to their platforms, including Snapchat’s My AI tool.