What is ChatGPT search?
Published . Updated .
ChatGPT search: The ChatGPT feature that searches the web when a question needs current information, then answers with inline citations and a list of sources.
OpenAI's help page says ChatGPT searches on its own when it judges a search would help, and you can also start one by hand from the search button. The answer carries inline citations, and a Sources button lists the pages it drew on. Behind one answer there are usually several queries, the query fan-out.
ChatGPT does not show those queries in the chat. How to see what ChatGPT searched covers the ways to read them, and how AI assistants search compares ChatGPT with Claude and Grok.
Read next
- How do ChatGPT, Claude and Grok search the web?
- How to see what ChatGPT searched before it answered
- What are ChatGPT's four kinds of fan-out query?
Sources
See the fan-out for your own prompts
Only Fan Out is a free Chrome side panel that lists the queries, fetched pages and cited pages behind each ChatGPT, Claude or Grok answer. Nothing leaves your browser.
Add to Chrome, it's free