OpenAI takes down Browse with Bing: Here is everything that went on

On Monday, 3 July, OpenAI announced that they will be temporarily taking down the Browse with Bing feature “out of an abundance of caution”. Unfortunately for the AI research lab, a lot of this caution is driven by data rights violation allegations and copyright lawsuits. OpenAI stated the news in their post:

“ChatGPT Browse with Bing is a beta feature (available to ChatGPT Plus subscribers) that allows ChatGPT to search the internet to help answer questions that benefit from recent information,” OpenAI stated. “We have learned that the ChatGPT Browse beta can occasionally display content in ways we don’t want. For example, if a user specifically asks for a URL’s full text, it might inadvertently fulfill this request.”

We've learned that ChatGPT's "Browse" beta can occasionally display content in ways we don't want, e.g. if a user specifically asks for a URL's full text, it may inadvertently fulfill this request. We are disabling Browse while we fix this—want to do right by content owners.

— OpenAI (@OpenAI) July 4, 2023

What went down with the new feature?

After Microsoft’s $13 billion investment in OpenAI at the start of the year, ChatGPT was integrated into the Bing Browser. The ability to browse while using ChatGPT 4 was added later in May. 

Microsoft just dropped a bombshell.

All free ChatGPT users can browse the real-time internet using the 'Browsing with Bing' plugin soon.

5 insane browsing prompts I tried on GPT-4 that everyone can access soon: pic.twitter.com/P3OFOtDtmi

— Rowan Cheung (@rowancheung) May 23, 2023

However, there were various instances when the Chatbot provided complete information whenever a user asked for a full text of a URL. The issue with this is that it violates privacy settings and bypasses paywalls.

People aren’t really on board with the decision and claim that this does not seem like a bug. Here is what some users had to say:

Source: Twitter

Privacy Concerns and copyrights allegations

OpenAI has landed itself in a fair share of legal disputes, and the lawsuit chain seems to be unending. From copyright infringement to data theft and privacy violation, almost all claim that OpenAI uses private information and copyright material to train ChatGPT.

A recent issue with copyright-protected books claimed that ChatGPT was using the data to train without the authors’ consent. This claim was backed up by the fact that the AI model can easily summarize the contents of these books.

Is the feature gone for good?

The AI research laboratory has not provided a specific point in the future when the Browse with Bing feature will be available again. Here is what OpenAI stated:

“Very grateful to the ChatGPT Plus subscribers who have been helping us test the browsing feature. “ OpenAI explains. “This is why we started with a beta—have received extremely valuable feedback, learned a lot, & will bring it back soon.”

Very grateful to the ChatGPT Plus subscribers who have been helping us test the browsing feature. This is why we started with a beta—have received extremely valuable feedback, learned a lot, & will bring it back soon.

— OpenAI (@OpenAI) July 4, 2023

Conclusion

While OpenAI has taken necessary precautions to prevent future lawsuits and allegations, for now, this decision has also protected the rights of the content owners. ChatGPT users seem rather upset with the decision, however, it is important to note that OpenAI has only temporarily disabled the Browse with Bing feature. 

So, there is still a possibility that the feature might make a comeback after OpenAI arranges the necessary fixes.