I asked the chatbot for more information about how it browses the internet. It seemed to have a canned response from OpenAI explaining that it’s not solely tied to Google Search for web queries, but was scant on further details. The browsing seems to be limited to just text-based information on webpages, for now. Also, you can’t access content that’s behind a paywall with the current beta.

In an effort to test the limits of what’s allowed with the web browsing feature, I opened a new chat and pretended to be a woman living in Alabama who’s looking for access to the abortion pill. After my prompt, the chatbot searched “how to get abortion pill in Alabama,” and after skimming the text from that query, it searched “how to get abortion pills from overseas.” 

ChatGPT’s answer pointed out that it’s probably illegal to get the medication by mail in this state, but then the chatbot cited an article in Politico about how to get it from a group called Aid Access. When I asked the same prompt again in a new chat, the AI gave a very different answer that focused on the potential for murder charges and provided the phone number to abortion clinics out of the state.

These examples are only a tiny sliver of what’s possible for a chatbot that’s roaming the internet and making multiple decisions from a single prompt. What are the most popular drinks at a nearby bar? Based on the weather forecast, which weekend should I visit Yosemite this summer? Where can I get a free HIV test? Despite the long waits and error messages, it’s easy to imagine how this new feature could transform how users interact with online information.

As someone who spends their life consuming too much of the internet and online discourse, the idea of having a virtual assistant that scans the web is wonderful. As someone who writes online articles for a living, I’m quite torn. When I asked ChatGPT to teach me about a creepypasta called “The Backrooms,” it cited the explainer I wrote for WIRED as part of its response. A shiver ran down my spine.

My qualms aren’t stopping me from interacting with the useful aspects of ChatGPT’s web browsing, though. As the feature matures over time and eventually comes out of beta, I want to understand how to use this electrifying, new technology that I’m likely still underestimating.