Up next
Author
Tags

OpenAI is now bringing ChatGPT to landlines. As surprising as this sounds, this is the latest move by the firm to get users to engage more with its popular AI chatbot, ChatGPT. Going forward, users in the US can now interact with ChatGPT by dialing a toll-free phone number, 1-800-CHATGPT (1-800-242-8478), while users around the globe can access the service via WhatsApp.

OpenAI made the announcement on its 10th day of “ship-mas” and in a post on X. “You can now talk to ChatGPT by calling 1-800-ChatGPT (1-800-242-8478) in the U.S. or by sending a WhatsApp message to the same number—available everywhere ChatGPT is,” OpenAI’s post on X read.

Starting this week, users in the US can call 1-800-CHATGPT to engage in voice-based conversations with ChatGPT. This move brings the AI assistant to landlines, mobile phones, and even vintage rotary phones, so users no longer need an internet connection to access the chatbot and ask it to perform tasks like answering questions, translating text, or engage in conversations. This will be beneficial for users residing in areas with erratic internet connections, or even a smartphone, so it could be an efficient way to bridge the digital divide and provide an alternative for those without access to smartphones or high-speed internet.

“[Our mission at] OpenAI is to make artificial general intelligence beneficial to all of humanity, and part of that is making it as accessible as possible to as many people as we can,” Kevin Weil, chief product officer at OpenAI, commented on the matter during the livestream. “Today, we’re taking the next step and bringing ChatGPT to your telephone.”

This feature uses OpenAI’s Advanced Voice Mode, which is designed for real-time conversations. As mentioned earlier, it allows users to speak directly with ChatGPT, which can respond to a wide range of questions, offer translations, and assist with various tasks. This is pocket-friendly as well – the service offers 15 minutes of free interaction per month, making it a low-cost option for users to try ChatGPT without needing to pay or create an account (although it is not feasible for extended conversations) and OpenAI intends to integrate features like image analysis and web search capabilities in the future. If users are interested in OpenAI’s more advanced models and other features, then they need to upgrade their plans to Plus, Teams, or Pro.

For users outside the US, OpenAI has integrated ChatGPT with WhatsApp (as mentioned earlier), so anyone with the messaging app will be able to interact with the AI assistant. By messaging the phone number 1-800-242-8478 within WhatsApp, users can initiate a text-based conversation with ChatGPT, utilizing the same capabilities available on the web version of the service. For now, this interaction is limited to text only. Users do not need to have an account to converse with ChatGPT.

0
0
0