#Asking for current information

When the answer depends on what's true right now, Chat searches the live web and tells you what it based its answer on.

#Overview

Most of what you ask Chat, it can answer directly. But some questions depend on the present moment — prices, schedules, recent events, the latest status of something. For those, Chat searches the live web and answers from what it finds, rather than guessing or relying on what it knew before.

When Chat does this, it also tells you what the answer is based on, so you can see where the information came from and decide how much weight to give it. You get a current answer and the means to check it, in the same conversation.

#What you can do

  • Ask questions whose answers change over time and get an answer grounded in current information.
  • See what Chat based its answer on, so you can judge and verify it.
  • Keep the conversation going — ask a follow-up and Chat searches again when the new question needs it.
  • Phrase a question naturally; you do not have to tell Chat to search. It searches when the question calls for current information and answers directly when it does not.
Note

Chat decides on its own when a question needs live information. You can make that more likely by being explicit that you want the current state of something — see the tips below.

#How to use it

  1. Open Chat and ask your question in plain language, the way you naturally would.
  2. If the answer depends on current information, Chat searches the live web and answers from what it finds.
  3. Read the answer together with what Chat says it is based on — that tells you where the information came from.
  4. Ask a follow-up to go deeper or narrow the scope; Chat searches again whenever the new question needs it.
  5. For a larger, more thorough investigation than a quick answer, move the question to Deep Research, which delivers a structured report with its sources gathered.
Tip

Be specific about the time frame and the thing you care about. "Right now," "today," "this week," or naming the exact item makes it clear you want the present state, not general background.

#Examples

What you ask:

text
What's the latest on the train strike that was announced this week?

What you see: A clear, current summary of the situation drawn from the live web, with Chat telling you what it based the answer on so you can check the origin of any point.

What you ask:

text
Is the museum downtown open today, and until what time?

What you see: A direct answer about today's hours, grounded in current information, with the basis for the answer shown alongside it.

What you ask:

text
Give me the current state of play on this topic — what's changed recently?

What you see: A synthesized, up-to-date answer pulled from the live web, with the references behind it surfaced so you can verify the claims.

#Tips

  • Say when you mean now. Words like "current," "today," or "latest" tell Chat the answer should reflect the present moment.
  • Name the specific thing — a place, an event, a product — so the search lands on exactly what you mean.
  • Always glance at what the answer is based on before you rely on it, especially for anything time-sensitive or high-stakes.
  • When a question deserves a careful, multi-source report rather than a quick reply, take it to Deep Research instead.