Bing is now the default search for ChatGPT

The close partnership between Microsoft and OpenAI leads to plug-in interoperability and search defaults.

OpenAI will start using Bing as the default search experience for ChatGPT. The new search functionality will be rolling out to ChatGPT Plus users today and will be enabled for all free ChatGPT users soon through a plug-in in ChatGPT.

“Foundational to our progress with the new Bing is our fantastic partnership with OpenAI,” says Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft’s head of consumer marketing, in a blog post today. “ChatGPT will now have a world-class search engine built-in to provide timelier and more up-to-date answers with access from the web.”

Just like how Bing’s chat experience is powered by GPT-4 and uses citations to links, OpenAI’s ChatGPT AI chatbot will include search and web data that also includes citations. Bing integration into ChatGPT is a win for Microsoft’s search engine after Samsung decided to stick with Google recently after rumors it would switch to Bing Search. The integration also follows Microsoft extending its OpenAI partnership in a “multibillion dollar investment” earlier this year after years of working closely with OpenAI.

Microsoft is also pledging to use the same open plug-in standard that OpenAI uses for ChatGPT, enabling interoperability between plug-ins for Bing Chat, Microsoft’s Copilot platform, and ChatGPT.