> Web access
What it is
Ocai can search the web while it answers you. When a question needs something current, or something you have not given it, it goes and looks, then shows you where the answer came from.
The point of the citations is that you do not have to take the answer on trust. Every claim that came off the web carries a marker back to the page it came from.
When Ocai goes and looks
- Your question is about something that changes, such as a price, a release, a ruling, or this week's news.
- You ask it to look something up, check a claim, or find sources.
- You ask for research on a subject.
When you have already attached the material, or the question is settled, Ocai answers from what is in the conversation and leaves the web alone. That is usually what you want, and you can nudge it either way by saying "look this up" or "answer from the file I attached".
Asking for research
Say what you want back, not just what the subject is. "What changed in EU data rules in the last two years, and what still applies" gets a different answer from "tell me about EU data rules".
A few habits get better results:
- Name the question, not the field. A question has an answer you can check.
- Say how recent it needs to be. "Since 2024" saves a round of correction.
- Ask for the shape you want: a summary, a comparison, a list of sources, or a recommendation.
- Ask it to show disagreement between sources when the sources differ. They often do.
How a citation looks
In the answer, a citation is a small numbered marker, like this: [1] It sits right after the sentence it supports.
- Hover the marker to see a card with the site name, the page title, and a short excerpt of the text the claim came from.
- Click the marker to open the page in a new tab.
Beside the answer, a panel titled Search Results lists every page Ocai used, with a count. The panel opens on its own while Ocai is still writing, and you can turn that behavior off in your preferences.
Checking the work
Open a source and read the excerpt against the claim. If the excerpt supports the sentence, the citation is doing its job. If it does not, you have caught something worth correcting, and saying so is the fastest fix.
A marker that shows no card means Ocai had no page to put behind that claim. Treat that sentence as unsupported until it is checked.
What is not a source
Files Ocai made while working, such as a report it wrote or a script it ran, are kept out of the sources list on purpose. Search Results holds pages from the web and nothing else, so a number there always means a real page you can open.
What happened to the old modes
The Assistant, Deep Research, and File Assistant modes are retired. There is no mode to switch and no menu item to hunt for.
Ask in your own words, and if a question needs more depth than you are getting, raise the thinking setting on the model you are using before you send it. The model selector covers where that setting lives.
Questions people ask
Does Ocai search every time?
No. It looks things up when the question needs current or outside information. If you have attached what you want it to work from, it uses that instead.
Can I check whether a fact is real?
Yes. That is what the markers are for. Open the page and read the excerpt under the claim.
Where did the search results go?
They open in a panel beside the answer while Ocai is writing. The preference that controls it is in your settings.
Are the files I attached cited too?
No. Search Results lists web pages only. Your attachments are listed with the conversation, not as sources.
How do I get a deeper answer?
Raise the thinking setting on the model, and ask for the shape you want. A specific question with a stated recency gets a better answer than a broad one.