Can You Use ChatGPT to Search the Web?

Yes, ChatGPT can search the web directly through its built-in search feature, which pulls current information and presents it in a written answer with small linked citations pointing to the sources used.

This is different from the model's core training data, which has a fixed cutoff and does not update in real time. Search mode bridges that gap by fetching fresh results when a question calls for current information.

It now handles this by default for many kinds of queries, deciding on its own when a live search would improve the answer rather than requiring a user to switch modes manually.

Being one of the sources it pulls into that search is the aim of LLM SEO software.