Zillow has announced a surprising new partnership with OpenAI's language model ChatGPT, launching a new plug-in called the ChatGPT plug-in that allows users to search for houses.
With the plug-in enabled, ChatGPT users can tell the AI what kind of property they are looking to purchase or rent, sharing criteria like location, price, and bedroom count. ChatGPT then searches Zillow's database and returns suitable options to the user. The plug-in is currently only available for a select number of ChatGPT users, with broader access expected in the future.
Zillow's CTO, David Beitel, stated that "generative AI is changing the way people search for information," and that Zillow sees "immense potential" in the technology.
The announcement comes a few months after Zillow launched its own natural-language search feature, which uses AI to process conversational search queries. Zillow's focus has been on expanding its core business of house-browsing and pricing estimates after winding down its own house-purchasing program at the end of 2021.
The ChatGPT plug-in is currently in its alpha testing phase, and Zillow anticipates receiving feedback from testers to improve the user experience.
