how to replace (free) Google with AI in your browser?

Last July, OpenAI announced the imminent arrival of its smart search engine. ChatGPT Search is now accessible directly from the chatbot, and Google has something to worry about. As would a “super-version” from ChatGPT, the American company's search engine now puts the entire web at the service of its striking power. Result: you just need to do a classic search from the search bar to obtain a summary of the results found on the web, sorted and reformulated according to your request.

Already accessible from the chatbot with the GPT-4o model, the OpenAI search engine already offers some interesting features, such as the possibility of aggregating a large number of search results in a few lines, or even the promise of a more fluid exchange between human and machine. This week, the search engine makes a thunderous arrival on the web browser.

How to install ChatGPT Search on Google?

If you want to experience AI-powered browsing, OpenAI recently released an extension for the Google Chrome browser, which allows you to replace the default browser with ChatGPT Search. Once installed, simply launch your request directly from your browser, and the software will open a discussion page which will attempt to answer your questions. When asked to find a ramen restaurant in Paris for example, the search engine will directly offer us a list of options, compiling the strong points of each of them. The sources are also accessible d'a simple click.

Free, soon

At the moment, the ChatGPT Search extension for Google Chrome is accessible for free, but it is quickly clamped after a few requests. In its full and unlimited version, the Open AI search engine requires a ChatGPT Plus subscription, ChatGPT Team, or to be registered on the SearchGPT waiting list. Still, the company's objective is indeed to replace Google in the hearts of Internet users.

For the moment, it is difficult to make a definitive judgment. The addition of ChatGPT as the default browser convinced us overall, as it makes it easy to interfere with our browsing habits. Still, the chatbot is still far from perfect. A button to switch between AI and a more traditional web search would be welcome, especially when it comes to visiting a particular website, or venturing onto sites prohibited for minors. Unsurprisingly, on this subject, OpenAI's search engine hits the markand refuses to comply with our requests.

The war against Google is declared (but not only)

In the coming months, all ChatGPT users will be able to access the tool. For the moment, there is no advertising to report, but the American company knows that it has a lot to play for in its massive deployment project. Google currently holds more than 90% of the search engine market share, and will not give up its throne so easily.

Also, relations between OpenAI and press publishers are tense. Aggregating content directly from your chatbot could penalize news sites the most precarious. Especially since the company promises that it will not prioritize the sources of its partners over other content publishers, it is not really being transparent on the subject. In the United States, several legal actions are already underway. In France, OpenAI still refuses to open group negotiations with Apig (Alliance de la presse d'information général) and SEPM (Union of Magazine Press Editors).