OpenAI’s recently launched ChatGPT Search is using Bing's search infrastructure to power its web search capabilities. OpenAI’s VP of Engineering confirmed this during an AMA, noting that Bing is an important part of the search functionality. 

ChatGPT Search benefits from Bing’s established indexing system. If a page is not indexed by Bing, it won’t appear in ChatGPT Search. This setup is similar to how Yahoo once relied on Bing for search results. 

Search Engine Roundtable says Ivan Hristov shared his test results on LinkedIn. He observed that much of ChatGPT Search’s functionality relies heavily on Bing’s web index, which could impact how some websites are ranked or displayed in ChatGPT’s results.

However, the two platforms do not share the same search results. ChatGPT uses its algorithm, and it does not rank pages in the same way as Bing. 

Impact on website visibility and ranking

This connection between ChatGPT Search and Bing’s indexing process means that websites must ensure they are properly indexed by Bing to show up in ChatGPT Search. This could affect SEO strategies and rankings for webmasters who are optimizing for ChatGPT. Websites that are indexed by Bing may see reduced visibility on the ChatGPT platform. 

Continued partnership between OpenAI and Microsoft

Microsoft recently labeled OpenAI as a competitor but it seems the companies have maintained a strong partnership. Last year, the two companies extended their collaboration, which now includes the integration of OpenAI’s advanced AI models into various Microsoft products. Additionally, Microsoft serves as the exclusive cloud services provider for OpenAI, hosting its computing and data storage needs.