OpenAI should bring File Search to ChatGPT (Plus/Team/Pro)
OpenAI's File search tool, while currently available only in the API, is a huge opportunity for ChatGPT Plus/Team/Pro users beyond just developers. This feature would fundamentally change how teams interact with their organizational knowledge.
The current workflow of uploading files per conversation, copy-pasting content within token limits, or expensive model fine-tuning creates significant friction. File search would eliminate these barriers by enabling ChatGPT to search and reference specific company documentation on demand with proper citations.
For larger organizations, this means effortless knowledge transfer as new employees could immediately query institutional knowledge. Support teams could instantly reference product documentation, legal teams could search contract repositories, and research groups could connect findings across papers. The system's ability to provide accurate file citations ensures traceability and reliability.
The technical infrastructure already exists—semantic and keyword search through vector stores with file annotation capabilities. With support for multiple file formats (PDFs, DOCXs, code files, presentations) and reasonable constraints (100GB total storage, 10k files per vector store, 512MB per file), this tool could integrate seamlessly into existing workflows.
Rather than simply augmenting the model's training data, this would effectively transform ChatGPT into a customized AI assistant with real-time access to your organization's specific information corpus. The potential productivity impact for teams extends far beyond the current developer-focused implementation.