Summary
- ChatGPT is now available to use without an OpenAI account.
- Certain features still require signing in, such as chat history and custom instructions.
- Other tools from OpenAI still require signing in, such as the paid Dall-E image generation AI.
If you’ve already started using the ChatGPT AI chatbot, you know that an OpenAI account is required to tap into its features. This isn’t unusual, as many companies with AI products and services often require some payment for access. Now that AI is becoming more widely used, however, it seems that OpenAI is willing to make a slight change to increase the accessibility of ChatGPT.
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In a blog post on its website, OpenAI has announced that the AI-based ChatGPT chatbot is now widely available for use — no OpenAI account needed (via The Verge). That being said, there are some features that will be unavailable to you if you use the chatbot without being signed in to an account. For instance, you won’t be able to save your ChatGPT history or share any of your conversations. You also can’t access certain features, such as voice conversations, or set any custom instructions for the bot.
Not all OpenAI tools are free to use
Thus far, OpenAI has said that it is rolling out free ChatGPT use gradually. It is doing so as a means to supposedly expand access and exposure to AI and its potential. However, the organization is also reserving some of its AI-based products and services for its paying users. For instance, Dall-E will still require payment and an OpenAI account to be used.
As Big Tech companies like Google enter the AI arena, it’s possible that OpenAI is also looking for other ways to hinder its competition. There are already rumors swirling that OpenAI is developing a web search product, for instance, which would help it compete with Google. Google notably has its own AI project — Gemini — which has become a priority at the company since the debut of ChatGPT. Sources behind the rumor claim that OpenAI might be using Bing, Microsoft’s AI tool and a competitor to Google. If this is the case, it could propel the company to the front of the tech industry, and not just the AI sector. Only time will tell just how much fact is embedded within these rumors.
