Most heavy LLM users will tell you that ChatGPT is the GOAT, but they prefer Claude for writing. Why wasn't Claude the GOAT? For people who use off-the-shelf chat interfaces, convenience always wins. ChatGPT had web access; Claude didn't.
New day, new tech. Anthropic has finally given Claude what it's been missing: the ability to search the web. This may seem like a minor feature update, but it's not—it's huge.
If you're a paid Claude 3.7 Sonnet user, go to your profile settings and toggle on "web search." It's that simple. When Claude uses web search, it provides inline citations, allowing users to verify sources and dig deeper if needed. This brings Claude to feature parity with competitors like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Mistral's Le Chat.
From an engineering perspective, Anthropic's AI products are exceptional, and their models are always in the consideration set. But for normal people (non-engineers), the lack of web access added too much friction to the process.
It's going to be interesting to see (as the word gets out) if Anthropic gets an MAU bump. I've already changed my keyboard shortcuts. We'll see how long it takes ChatGPT to win back its place.
As always your thoughts and comments are both welcome and encouraged. Just reply to this email. -s
Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with technology, media and marketing. Named he covers tech and business for , is a regular commentator on CNN and writes a popular . He's a , and the creator of the popular, free online course, . Follow or visit .
