OpenAI · last updated 2026-10-14
ChatGPT Search
OpenAI's web-grounded mode inside ChatGPT, surfaced as 'Search' and used for queries the model judges to benefit from fresh information. Grounded answers cite web sources alongside the assembled response. OpenAI retired GPT-4o in ChatGPT on 2026-02-13. OpenAI is also testing ads beside answers for Free and Go users and states that answers are independent of ads.
Grounding model
Hybrid: a web index plus model-driven query expansion, using OpenAI's own search crawler `OAI-SearchBot`. Retrieval-augmented; the model is encouraged but not forced to cite.
Citation style
Inline numbered footnotes plus a sidebar 'Sources' list with domain favicons and titles. Tap-to-reveal full URLs. Click-through opens a new tab to the source.
What it rewards
- Recent dates and explicit dating in the page body
- Direct, definitional first paragraphs the model can quote cleanly
- Clear authorship and Person/Organization markup that matches visible content
- Well-structured tables and lists the model can extract
What it penalizes
- Paywalled content (in our observation, cited less often and replaced by free alternatives)
- Pages that bury the answer in a long preamble
- Heavy interstitials, cookie walls, and JS-heavy renders the crawler cannot read