OpenAI’s chatbot, ChatGPT, recently introduced a new feature named Browse with Bing that was exclusive only to ChatGPT Plus subscribers. The integration with Bing was announced by Microsoft during their annual developer conference, Build 2023. This addition is planned to enhance the search experience of ChatGPT, which was previously powered on the GPT-4 model, which was limiting its capabilities by providing information only up to September 2021.
However, after the implementation of the new feature, OpenAI encountered several malfunctioned instances. For instance, if a user requested the full text of a URL, the system unintentionally fulfilled these requests, which led to unexpected behavior. As a result, OpenAI company made the decision to disable the Browse with Bing beta feature on July 3, 2023. OpenAI provided a statement regarding this situation, explaining their cautious approach and commitment to address the issue in order to respect content owners. Open AI confirmed that they are actively working on resolving this issue and thanked its customers for their understanding and patience.
What is more interesting, users in the Reddit r/ChatGPT community discovered a way to bypass paywalls on certain websites using ChatGPT. Paywalls are used to restrict access to site contents for non-subscribers, but some users found that ChatGPT could be used to get the text of articles behind these paywalls, thus granting free access to site contents.
OpenAI did not say when the Browse with Bing feature will be active again and what changes will be implemented to prevent similar issues in the future. Until Open AI investigates and fix this issue, users should wait for the return of the beta feature, hoping that new changes will prevent any unwanted consequences in the future.