Introduction to ChatGPT’s Web Search Changes
ChatGPT, a popular AI chatbot, has been found to be triggering live web searches less frequently for users who access the app without logging in. According to SISTRIX, a company that analyzes ChatGPT responses, the share of answers that called the web fell from above 15% to below 2.5% over a two-week period. This significant decline has raised questions about the cause and potential impact on users.
What Changed in ChatGPT’s Behavior
SISTRIX analyzes numerous ChatGPT responses to various prompts daily and noticed a substantial decrease in web searches. The company found that when using the app without an account, the rate of responses completed via a web search declined sharply. Although SISTRIX doesn’t provide a sample size, list of prompts, or detection method, the observation is still noteworthy. ChatGPT has traditionally relied on Bing for web lookups, and there are rumors of Google data being used, but no direct link has been claimed between any specific backend change and the measured decline.
Related Context to the Changes
Microsoft Bing Search APIs Retirement
Microsoft announced the retirement of the Bing Search APIs on August 11. This change has led some third-party tools to migrate to alternative search APIs. While this doesn’t prove a change inside ChatGPT, it’s a relevant ecosystem shift that could influence the chatbot’s behavior.
Google’s SERP Access Changes
SISTRIX also documented that Google no longer supports the "num=100" parameter and now returns 10 results per request. This change increases the effort required to collect SERP data at scale. Again, this is context rather than causation, but it’s essential to consider when analyzing ChatGPT’s behavior.
Recent ChatGPT Product Notes
OpenAI’s release notes list "improvements to search in ChatGPT" on September 16, without detailing backend sourcing. This update may be unrelated to the SISTRIX measurement, but it’s worth noting in the same timeframe.
Why the Changes Matter
If ChatGPT is consulting the web less frequently in anonymous sessions, users might notice fewer answers citing current sources and a greater reliance on the model’s internal knowledge. This could influence how often recent news is referenced in responses for users who aren’t logged in. However, the behavior may differ for Plus or Enterprise accounts.
Looking Ahead
SISTRIX’s observation is limited to a specific time frame and anonymous usage. Currently, there’s no confirmed information from OpenAI about how frequently ChatGPT performs live lookups overall. The most cautious conclusion is that one independent measurement showed a sharp short-term decline, which deserves further testing.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the decline in ChatGPT’s web searches for anonymous users raises questions about the chatbot’s behavior and potential impact on users. While the cause of the decline is unknown, it’s essential to consider the related context, including Microsoft’s Bing Search APIs retirement and Google’s SERP access changes. As ChatGPT continues to evolve, it’s crucial to monitor its behavior and understand how it may affect users. Further testing and analysis are necessary to determine the significance of this decline and its potential implications for users.