Anthropic has unveiled a significant update to its AI-powered chatbot, Claude, introducing a web search feature that elevates it to the level of its contemporaries. Previously designed to be self-contained, Claude can now access real-time insights from the internet, offering users more current and relevant information. This move positions Claude alongside other advanced AI chatbots such as OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google's Gemini, and Mistral's Le Chat.
The inclusion of web search allows Claude to process and deliver responses with direct citations, enhancing the reliability of its outputs. Anthropic stated,
“When Claude incorporates information from the web into its responses, it provides direct citations so you can easily fact-check sources,”
This feature not only broadens Claude's extensive knowledge base but also empowers it to deliver more accurate and timely information. While ChatGPT's search-focused experience, ChatGPT Search, has faced challenges with generating misleading summaries, Claude aims to mitigate such issues by providing verified sources in a conversational manner.
Paid users in the United States can now access this feature in preview mode through the Claude web app. Users can enable web search by adjusting their profile settings, allowing Claude to automatically explore various sites to enrich its responses. Anthropic plans to extend this capability to free users and additional countries in the near future.
The latest iteration of Anthropic's model, Claude 3.7 Sonnet, powers the enhanced functionality. This development is part of Anthropic's ongoing effort to refine its chatbot's capabilities, ensuring that it remains competitive in the rapidly evolving landscape of AI technologies.