x.com/daniel_houck/status/2027204733111349464
1 correction found
The very first thing we did was connect it to the internet.
OpenAI’s ChatGPT was introduced on November 30, 2022, while internet-browsing features rolled out months later (spring 2023). So it’s not accurate that connecting it to the internet was “the very first thing” they did.
Full reasoning
The post implies OpenAI (or comparable AI developers) connected their chatbot to the live internet as an initial step.
However, OpenAI’s own timeline shows the opposite:
- OpenAI introduced ChatGPT on November 30, 2022. (openai.com)
- OpenAI’s ChatGPT Release Notes document that “Web browsing and Plugins are now rolling out in beta” on May 12, 2023—i.e., browsing (internet access) was a later feature rollout, not something done at the beginning. (help.openai.com)
- OpenAI’s post on ChatGPT plugins is dated March 23, 2023 and describes implementing/rolling out plugins (including a web browser plugin) as an addition to ChatGPT. (openai.com)
- Contemporary reporting likewise described this as a new change at the time (March 2023), noting ChatGPT “can now browse the internet” and implying it previously could not. (gate.com)
Taken together, these sources show that OpenAI’s internet-connected browsing capability arrived months after ChatGPT’s initial release, contradicting the claim that connecting it to the internet was “the very first thing” they did.
4 sources
- ChatGPT — Release Notes | OpenAI Help Center
The changelog includes an entry dated “May 12, 2023” stating: “Web browsing and Plugins are now rolling out in beta,” and describes “Web browsing” as a new feature users could try via a beta panel.
- Introducing ChatGPT | OpenAI
OpenAI’s product post “Introducing ChatGPT” is dated “November 30, 2022,” indicating when ChatGPT was introduced.
- ChatGPT plugins | OpenAI
OpenAI’s post dated “March 23, 2023” describes adding plugins to ChatGPT and mentions hosting plugins including “a web browser” plugin—indicating web access as an added capability.
- OpenAI connects ChatGPT to the internet | TechCrunch
TechCrunch (March 23, 2023) reported that ChatGPT “can now browse the internet — in certain cases” via plugins, describing it as a new capability at that time.