ChatGPT, the AI assistant created by OpenAI, is now available for landline phones! That’s right—if you have a traditional phone, you can call 1-800-242-8478 (which spells out 1-800-CHATGPT) and start talking to the AI starting Wednesday afternoon.
Kevin Weil, the chief product officer at OpenAI, shared during a live event that the goal of the company is to make advanced AI technology beneficial for everyone. He emphasized that making ChatGPT accessible to as many people as possible is a big part of that mission. So now, you can simply pick up your phone and have a conversation with ChatGPT.
When you call, the experience will feel similar to using the Advanced Voice Mode that ChatGPT already has, where it can chat with you in real time. However, it won’t be able to show images or videos like it does in some other formats. You can ask it questions, and it can help with tasks like translating sentences into different languages.
Read Also: Microsoft Purchased Around 500,000 Nvidia Hopper Chips This Year
To make it easier for people to try it out, OpenAI is offering the first 15 minutes of your call for free if you’re in the United States. After that, the call will just end, but be aware that your phone carrier might charge you for the call.
In addition to the phone service, starting Wednesday, you can also chat with ChatGPT on WhatsApp if you prefer texting. This chat will be a straightforward back-and-forth conversation, but it won’t have the extra customization options that you find in the official ChatGPT app.
You don’t need an account to use ChatGPT on WhatsApp, but there is a limit to how much you can chat each day. If you get close to that limit, you’ll receive a notice. If you want to keep chatting after reaching the limit, you can download the ChatGPT app or use it on a desktop computer.
OpenAI is also planning to add more features to the WhatsApp version, such as the ability to analyze images and perform web searches, but they haven’t announced when those updates will be available.
This new phone feature actually came about quickly; it started as a project during a week where the team was encouraged to innovate. Weil mentioned that the team worked hard to bring this idea to life, and they are excited to make ChatGPT even more accessible to everyone.
