OpenAI has disabled the web browsing feature of ChatGPT due to a problem with displaying paywalled content. Although the exact details have not been disclosed, OpenAI has acknowledged that ChatGPT Browse beta occasionally showcases content in ways that are undesired. It’s important to note that this issue does not affect all paywalled websites. In cases where the AI cannot access specific URLs in real time, it simply displays the usual error message.

Browsing the web is a powerful tool within ChatGPT’s capabilities as it allows the AI chatbot to gather updated information from the internet. Without this feature, when asked about recent events, the AI bot provides a standard response that it cannot access the latest knowledge from the web due to its training data only going up until 2021.

In order to enable web browsing, users must first purchase a ChatGPT Plus subscription starting at $20 per month. After becoming a premium subscriber, users can select GPT-4 as the information model and choose “Browse with Bing” from the drop-down list of New Features in the app settings.

In addition to web browsing, ChatGPT has also integrated support for third-party plug-ins through partnerships with well-known brands and service providers like Instacart, Klarna, Expedia, and Zapier. These plug-ins mark a significant step towards connecting ChatGPT to the web in real time. [source]