Anthropic has introduced a new web search feature to its Claude chatbot. The feature allows users to get real-time, up-to-date information in responses from across the internet. 

Instead of relying solely on its training data, Claude can now pull in information and provide citations for verification. “You can now use Claude to search the internet to provide more up-to-date and relevant responses,” the platform wrote.

How does Claude’s web search work?

When enabled, Claude automatically searches across various websites to enhance responses. Unlike traditional search engines that list multiple results, Claude claims it processes and delivers the most relevant sources in a conversational format. When Claude pulls in information from the web, it cites sources directly.

Availability of Claude’s web search feature

The web search feature is currently available in preview for paid users in the U.S., with plans to expand to free users and other regions soon. It works only with the latest Claude model, Claude 3.7 Sonnet, and users must toggle it on from their profile settings.

With this update, Claude is looking to rival the biggest AI chatbot competitors. OpenAI’s SearchGPT already integrates web search, making it a strong alternative for real-time information. Google’s Gemini has access to Google's vast index, giving it a significant advantage in search depth. Perplexity is also pushing its AI-powered search engine, with plans to launch a dedicated browser called Comet.

However, while it now offers web search like its competitors, Claude has to prove how well it curates and ranks sources compared to Google’s search dominance or OpenAI’s ChatGPT. The real test will be how effectively Claude can provide accurate information and how it improves its search capabilities, especially as companies like Google are expanding their search models with more features. 

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