ChatGPT’s answers came from Google Search after all: Report

Multiple tests have suggested ChatGPT is using Google Search. Well, a new report seems to confirm ChatGPT is indeed using Google Search data.

• OpenAI quietly used (and may still be using) a Google Search scraping service to power ChatGPT’s answers on real-time topics like news, sports, and finance, according to The Information.

The details. OpenAI used SerpApi, an 8-year-old scraping firm, to extract Google results.

• SerpApi reportedly listed OpenAI as a customer on its site as recently as May 2024. That listing was later removed for unknown reasons. (Here’s evidence via the Wayback Machine.)

• Google has reportedly long tried to block SerpApi’s crawler, though it’s unclear how effective those efforts have been.
• Other SerpApi customers reportedly include Meta, Apple, and Perplexity.

Zoom out. This revelation contrasts with OpenAI’s public stance that ChatGPT search relies on its own crawler, Microsoft Bing, and licensed publisher data.

• During Google’s antitrust trial, ChatGPT exec Nick Turley indicated Microsoft’s Bing had “significant quality issues” and indicated that Google’s index would accelerate OpenAI’s search ambitions.

Meanwhile. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently dismissed Google Search, saying:

• “I don’t use Google anymore. I legitimately cannot tell you the last time I did a Google search.” 

Well, based on this news, it seems like he probably is using Google Search all the time within his own product.

Why we care. Google’s search index remains the foundation of online discovery – so much so that even its biggest AI search rival appears to be using it to partially power ChatGPT. This is yet another reminder that SEO isn’t going anywhere just yet. If Google’s results are valuable to OpenAI, they remain essential for driving visibility, traffic, and business outcomes.

The report. OpenAI Is Challenging Google—While Using Its Search Data (subscription required)