×
Claude enters the web search chat, rivalling Perplexity and ChatGPT
Written by
Published on
Join our daily newsletter for breaking news, product launches and deals, research breakdowns, and other industry-leading AI coverage
Join Now

Anthropic‘s Claude chatbot is catching up to competitors by finally adding web search capabilities, expanding its functionality beyond its native knowledge base. This development marks a significant shift in the AI chatbot landscape as these tools increasingly compete with traditional search engines, offering users conversational interfaces that process and deliver search results with cited sources.

The big picture: Anthropic has announced that Claude can now search the web, joining competitors like ChatGPT Search and Perplexity in offering real-time internet access to supplement its built-in knowledge.

How it works: Claude processes internet information and delivers relevant sources in a conversational format with inline citations that allow users to verify the accuracy of its responses.

  • The web search feature builds upon the recently released Claude 3.7 Sonnet model, which has a knowledge cutoff of November 2024.
  • Users can activate the feature by toggling it on in settings, after which Claude will automatically access the web when needed based on queries.

Rollout details: The web search feature is currently available in preview for paid Claude users in the United States.

  • Anthropic plans to extend access to free users and other countries “soon,” though no specific timeline was provided.
  • The feature leverages Claude 3.7 Sonnet, described by Anthropic as its “most intelligent model” to date.

Market context: While Google maintains its lead in traditional web search market share, AI chatbot search tools like Claude are steadily gaining popularity.

  • This addition makes Claude one of the last major AI chatbots to incorporate web search functionality.
  • The inclusion of inline citations addresses a critical need, as recent research has highlighted accuracy concerns with AI-powered search tools.
Anthropic adds web search to its Claude chatbot - here's how to try it

Recent News

Dell’s new Enterprise Hub streamlines on-premises AI development

Dell's platform expansion enables companies to deploy, train, and run advanced AI models entirely within their own infrastructure while supporting multiple hardware accelerators and edge devices.

AI transforms medicine with 14 groundbreaking applications

AI technologies are enhancing medical capabilities across fourteen areas, from early disease detection to personalized treatments, without replacing human healthcare professionals.

AI-powered judges fail reliability tests, study finds

AI systems exhibit positional bias and inconsistent judgments when evaluating content, raising concerns about their use in high-stakes decisions like hiring and legal analysis.