Now you can call ChatGPT by phone

If you ever feel lonely and just need someone to talk to, OpenAI has you covered. The company announced today that anyone can now call ChatGPT by phone at 1-800-CHATGPT (242-8478). Callers are limited to 15 minutes per month; Anyone outside the US can also text ChatGPT via WhatsApp to the same number.

OpenAI has recently been pushing voice and video interaction as a more natural way to interact with ChatGPT. Users of the ChatGPT app can turn on their cameras and ask the bot questions about what it sees.

Today’s launch seems like a stunt to attract cheap attention: after all, the people who use ChatGPT are probably tech-savvy and probably already interact with the chatbot through an app. But that’s the point: OpenAI says that making ChatGPT accessible by phone can introduce the chatbot to newcomers. The company said The edge that you will not use these conversations for training. Of course, OpenAI too It used to say it was a non-profit organization. dedicated to improving the lives of humanity. Things change.

Anyone who wants to use richer features or have access to higher usage limits will want to use the standard ChatGPT app. This is similar to how ChatGPT is now built into iOS via Siri. Some questions will be broadcast for ChatGPT to answer, but if you want the full experience, you’ll need to go to the ChatGPT app. The integration with iOS is a way for OpenAI to promote the product to Apple’s more than one billion users.

OpenAI has been announcing new products every day recently as part of its “12 Days of Shipping.” Other announcements have been more significant, such as the launch of the sora video generator and Canvas, a new way to interact with ChatGPT. It seems like today’s announcement was more of a cheap filler.