ChatGPT is gaining access to real-time internet search data that will let it provide answers based on up-to-date news and current affairs.

Microsoft announced OpenAI's chatbot will be integrated with its Bing search engine, effectively allowing it to trawl through the entire internet when responding to queries.

It addresses one of the key limitations of ChatGPT, which until now has only been able to offer answers based on training data from up to 2021.

The chatbot will also provide citations when utilising Bing search data, linking to its sources, which addresses another major concern users have had since it launched late last year.

Microsoft executive Yusuf Mehdi said: "ChatGPT will now have a world-class search engine built-in to provide timelier and more up-to-date answers with access from the web."

The announcement was made at Microsoft's Build 2023 developer conference on Tuesday, coming as the American technology giant continues to strengthen ties with OpenAI.

The Windows and Office firm made a multibillion-dollar investment in the creator of ChatGPT following its wildly successful launch late last year, and quickly unveiled a new-look Bing powered by the company's AI.

Tuesday's announcement is essentially a case of returning the favour, though the upgraded ChatGPT is only available for paying subscribers for now.

It will be made available for free at a later date, and will need to be enabled via a Bing plug-in.

Microsoft is going big on AI as it looks to become a dominant player in a crowded field, having already revealed a ChatGPT-like assistant for its Office software.

Rival Google has done similarly with its workplace apps like Docs by integrating its Bard chatbot.

But unlike Bing and GPT4, Google has not yet rolled generative AI directly into its traditional search engine.