OpenAI plans to integrate SearchGPT into ChatGPT by the end of 2024.

OpenAI plans to integrate its SearchGPT prototype into ChatGPT by the end of 2024, as confirmed by Varun Shetty, OpenAI’s head of media partnerships, during the Twipe Digital Growth Summit in Brussels. This move is part of a broader strategy to enhance how users search for information within ChatGPT, allowing them to find more detailed answers while driving traffic to news publishers’ websites.

Shetty highlighted that publishers will not receive ad revenue sharing from SearchGPT but will benefit from increased traffic and engagement through new audiences. The aim is to balance the user experience of searching for recent information with proper attribution to publishers, ensuring that users not only receive direct answers but are also encouraged to click through to the original sources for further details.

He emphasized that searchers today expect more than just a list of links—they want answers. SearchGPT aims to meet this demand by creating a more “information-dense” user experience while providing opportunities for publishers to drive more traffic to their sites.

On the role of AI in journalism, Shetty clarified that OpenAI does not believe people want to read AI-generated news. Instead, AI should support journalists by enhancing content creation processes, from recommending stories to transforming text into multimedia formats like audio and video. The goal is to assist in creating better user experiences and driving higher engagement through content.

Although SearchGPT has about 10,000 U.S. users, it has already begun outperforming competitors like Perplexity in terms of driving traffic to major brands. While ad revenue sharing remains off the table for now, the integration of SearchGPT into ChatGPT marks a significant step towards its potential influence in the search space, further underscoring the need for businesses to consider generative engine optimization (GEO) as part of their SEO strategies.