I’ve used ChatGPT/SearchGPT as a goog replacement since it previewed last year.
In the past, we could use a string such as:
https://chatgpt.com/?q=YourPromptHere&hints=search&model=gpt-5-thinking
That meant it could be your default search engine in Opera/Vivaldi/Chrome/Brave/FireFox/etal and kick g to the curb.
As of yesterday, that no longer works. It now just goes to a prompt box requiring more ux interactions by the user (sucks from a ux standpoint).
Is OpenAI giving up on search? No longer caring to compete with Google?