Less than two years after it went mainstream, ChatGPT is the bot to beat. It’s got 100 million weekly users, it’s easy to work with and, to be honest, it’s kind of fun sometimes.
And now the technology is even more accessible: You can now pester ChatGPT with all of your pressing questions without the added step of creating an account.
On April 1, OpenAI, ChatGPT’s parent company, opened access to their signature AI chat tool. There’s no need to register for a login and password, and it’s totally free of charge. They made the announcement on X:
We’re rolling out the ability to start using ChatGPT instantly, without needing to sign-up, so it's even easier to experience the potential of AI. https://t.co/juhjKfQaoD pic.twitter.com/TIVoX8KFDB
— OpenAI (@OpenAI) April 1, 2024
This version of ChatGPT is an earlier generation of the software called GPT 3.5, originally released in early 2022. And this open-access version does have a few caveats: For one, you can’t save or share chats without a registered account.
You’ll also have to take extra steps if you don’t want your input used to train the AI. There’s a setting to opt out of sharing, but it resets if you clear your cookies, and you have to do it on each of your devices.
The free version isn’t yet available everywhere; the company says they’re “rolling this out gradually,” though it’s not clear precisely when and where it’ll be accessible. (I was able to access the free web version and the app from my iPad in Colorado.)
With more anonymous users comes more potential abuse, unfortunately. OpenAI says they’ve created stricter guidelines for the free bot, shaping what topics it can discuss.
I went ahead and asked ChatGPT, “Are there things I can’t ask you?” The reply:
Kathleen St. John/Simplemost
Seems reasonable, GPT 3.5!
For folks who want the latest and greatest, ChatGPT 4 is up and running, too, though it’s not free and requires an account setup.
A $20 a month Plus subscription offers access to GPT 4’s features, including voice input, image-enabled chat and image creation using OpenAI’s DALL-E tool. (That’s the one where you can describe an image you want to see and AI generates it for you.)
But if you just want to dip your toe into the world of AI chatbots, the free ChatGPT version is a solid intro. It’s like having a virtual assistant — one who knows basically everything.
