In the latest developments of the AI (artificial intelligence) industry, ChatGPT Search, also known as SearchGPT, has officially been rolled out as of November 1, 2024. Per OpenAI's website, ChatGPT Search enables you to get "fast, timely answers with links to relevant web sources, which you would have previously needed to go to a search engine for."

This capability, which was initially tested on a select group of users for an initial trial period in July of this year, can be accessed via the globe icon in the chat for premium ChatGPT Plus and Team users. When you enter your prompt, the bot will respond with information collated from various sources on the web, that it integrates as part of the flow of your conversation with it.

Approximately 75% of knowledge workers now use AI at work, according to Microsoft and LinkedIn's Work Trend Index 2024. For all AI enthusiasts at work who tend to use ChatGPT or other AI tools daily or weekly to assist them with tasks such as market research and SEO content creation, the addition of new features such as ChatGPT Search certainly comes as welcome news as it adds value to your experience using this application.

But ChatGPT Search bears striking similarities to its rival Perplexity AI, and of course, Google Search, which also recently rolled out an AI-powered search feature that appears whenever you search on the Google search engine. This can confuse many professionals and make it difficult to know which is best for work purposes, as they have so much in common.

For example, Perplexity AI helps you conduct thorough research by not only providing answers from publications, blogs, and trustworthy sites, but also giving you citations so you can delve deeper and discover more. ChatGPT Search promises to do the same as well. Google's AI search overview also includes numbers next to the abbreviated answers it provides to your query, saving you endless scrolling, while the numbers link to citations should you wish to learn more.

So what are some core differences, and what are the advantages and disadvantages of ChatGPT Search and Perplexity AI? Let's hear it from everyday professionals themselves:

Joe Amaral, a digital marketing entrepreneur with a background in tech and data analytics, says he primarily uses Perplexity.ai for keyword analysis and to extract specific insights for SEO strategies, a core part of his role at Anthem Software. This has helped Amaral craft targeted marketing approaches.

His thoughts on ChatGPT Search?

"I've been impressed with its ability to generate creative content ideas. This feature has been especially useful in brainstorming sessions for new marketing campaigns, offering a fresh perspective that aligns well with our innovative approach at Anthem Software. The downside I encountered with ChatGPT Search is its occasional broadness, which sometimes lacks the targeted specificity we can get from Perplexity.ai. For example, when refining our email marketing strategies, precise data insights are critical, where Perplexity.ai often excels."

Amaral is far from being the only professional who has spotted the issue of generality with ChatGPT Search. Milan Kordestani, a Gen Z entrepreneur, often uses Perplexity.ai for data analysis and customer insights, as part of his strategic decision-making at Ankord Media, especially when it comes to acting on market trends.

He relates: "Testing ChatGPT Search, I found its ability to integrate with vast datasets positively influenced content creation, ensuring depth and relevance in digital narratives. It streamlined our workflows by providing quick access to information, enhancing our team's efficiency in project executions.

"However, ChatGPT Search lacks the precision in context that Perplexity.ai provides, which is crucial for insightful customer analysis. Despite the positives, I find Perplexity.ai scores better for specific tasks requiring deep analytical insights given its superior context-awareness," Kordestani says.

Several other professionals who were interviewed for this purpose related the same feedback. Overall, ChatGPT is good, but not good enough if you need depth of insight for critical analysis within your role. Some also stated that the visual appeal of Perplexity AI with its search results is more impressive than that of ChatGPT Search, at least for now.

However, other workers prefer ChatGPT Search, particularly because it seems to be more human-like in tone. Lucas Botzen, an HR professional and CEO at Rivermate shares, "I would much prefer ChatGPT Search over the other. Both systems are credible to a certain extent, but this conversational nature of ChatGPT implies a wider perspective and hence is much more useful for someone like me. In other words, an opportunity to hold a more interactive conversation and discuss issues in more detail will mean more for HR work complexities."

So, here are the pros and cons in a nutshell:

AI tools such as ChatGPT's new web search capabilities, and Perplexity.ai, are highly useful for work tasks such as competitor analysis, support with content creation based on the data insights gathered, tool comparison and evaluation for software, and highlighting key information while providing instant summaries when you're pressed for time. Which one you decide to use comes down to your personal trial and error, work preferences, the level of detail you require for your work, and the tone in which you prefer to converse.