Better late than never: Claude finally incorporates web search to compete with ChatGPT and Perplexity

After months of waiting, Anthropic's Claude chatbot can now browse the web to enhance its responses in real-time. This strategic update allows the AI assistant to finally close a significant gap with its main competitors.

Anthropic has announced the integration of web search into its conversational assistant Claude, a feature that has been requested since its launch in 2023. This major improvement comes just weeks after the rollout of Claude 3.7 and its dedicated AI coding agent. The ability to search for real-time information on the internet was one of the last barriers separating Claude from direct rivals like OpenAI's ChatGPT and Perplexity.

Currently, web search is available only to paying subscribers of Claude in the United States. However, Anthropic promises a swift rollout for free users and other countries in the coming weeks. Activation is simple, requiring users to toggle the relevant option in their profile settings. Once activated, web search integrates seamlessly into conversations with Claude 3.7 Sonnet, with the model automatically determining when it is relevant to consult the internet for enriched responses.