OpenAI Temporarily Pauses Bing Integration in ChatGPT

ChatGPT suspends Bing integration to deter users from circumventing paywalls

Key Takeaways:

OpenAI has temporarily halted the Browse with Bing beta feature in ChatGPT.

The feature was introduced to enhance the search functionality of ChatGPT.

Users have discovered a workaround that allows them to bypass paywalls using the chatbot.

Recently, OpenAI’s chatbot, ChatGPT, introduced a new feature called Browse with Bing, which was exclusively available to ChatGPT Plus subscribers.

During the annual developer conference, Build 2023, Microsoft announced the integration of Bing into the platform to elevate the search experience. Prior to this integration, ChatGPT relied on OpenAI’s GPT-4 model, limiting its capabilities as it could only access information up until September 2021.

However, shortly after incorporating the new feature, OpenAI identified instances where it malfunctioned. OpenAI stated, For instance, if a user specifically requests the full text of a URL, the chatbot may unintentionally fulfill this request.

As a result, OpenAI disabled the Browse with Bing beta feature on July 3, 2023, as a precautionary measure to rectify the issue and respect content owners. OpenAI expressed their commitment to reinstating the beta version as soon as possible and appreciated users’ understanding.

Typically, paywalls are employed to encourage users to subscribe to a website, restricting access to published content for non-subscribers. However, members of the r/ChatGPT community on Reddit have discovered an alternative method to bypass these paywalls and gain access to information without a subscription.

In the Reddit thread, users shared various ingenious tips and tricks they employed to evade paywalls, including utilizing ChatGPT to retrieve the text from articles hidden behind paywalls.

At present, it remains uncertain when OpenAI will reintroduce the feature and what adjustments will be implemented on the platform to prevent such occurrences in the future.