Web search

Three ways to search

Search works at three levels. Pick the least AI that does the job.

• No AI: the search button next to send runs a plain web search and shows you the results directly. No model involved.
• Some AI: add an AI summary to any search, on demand with the summarize button or automatically if you turn on auto-summarize in your profile.
• Full AI: turn on automatic research and let the assistant search on its own, below.

The point is control: raw results when that is all you need, AI synthesis only when you ask for it.

Automatic research

Turn it on or off for the conversation you are in from the Add button next to the input. With the tool enabled, the AI decides when to search, reads the results, and weaves them into its answer. It is best for questions that need current information inside a conversation: recent events, prices, anything newer than the model's training.

New conversations start with whatever “Automatic research on by default” says in your profile. That setting only decides the starting point, so changing it does not alter conversations you already have, and switching the tool in one conversation does not change the setting.

Answers built from search reflect the results retrieved, not the whole web. If a searched answer looks off, see unexpected results.

Where your query goes

All three levels send your search query to Brave Search, and Brave's privacy policy applies to that processing. Your other messages go to the AI provider serving your chosen model, never to Brave.

For the full picture, see who sees your messages and the data practices on our about page.