Summary
- OpenAI has launched a 1-800 number for ChatGPT, allowing users in the US and Canada to interact with the AI via phone call.
- The AI giant has also brought ChatGPT to WhatsApp, enabling users to chat with the AI directly within the messaging app.
- The integration offers easy access but also comes with limitations, including a daily usage limit and a reduced feature set compared to the main ChatGPT app.
OpenAI’s ChatGPT wasn’t the first AI chatbot around, but it sure was the first one to popularize the tech and bring it to the masses.
Before Meta’s Threads came around, ChatGPT was the quickest online application to reach a staggering 100 million users, and it did so within just two months. Threads broke that record in just a matter of days, mostly aided by a simple way to sign up via existing Instagram accounts.
Now, in a bid to attract more users, OpenAI is making ChatGPT even easier to interact with, and it starts with a 1-800-ChatGPT line.
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Currently limited to users in the US and Canada, dialing 1-800-242-8478 now puts you on a direct line with ChatGPT. The expansion was announced as part of the AI giant’s 12 Days of OpenAI, where it has previously detailed ChatGPT Search, a new Santa voice for the AI tool, Sora leaving research preview, and more.
Interacting with ChatGPT via phone call does not require an active account, though as always, standard carrier charges may apply.
I’d imagine that only a tiny subset of existing ChatGPT users would actually use the 1-800 line to have their queries answered, considering that users only get 15 minutes of talk time per month alongside a reduced feature set (more on that below). This strongly suggests that the 1-800 expansion is intended to serve as an introductory gateway to ChatGPT on the web and its mobile app for less tech-savvy users that might have no experience with OpenAI’s tools.
More importantly though, OpenAI has clearly stated that it will have access to your 1-800 conversations with the AI assistant, and may even review them if needed. “We do store and may review your calls, transcript of calls…for a limited period of time for safety and abuse prevention purposes,” it wrote. Alas, proceed with caution.
Now this might actually be somewhat useful
Small tidbit about the screenshot above: WhatsApp has content capture restrictions that prevent users from being able to screenshot profile photos and contact information screens. When I attempted to screenshot ChatGPT’s contact screen on Android, the capture was blocked. I did not encounter the same limitation on iOS.
What I could see more users taking advantage of is ChatGPT’s integration with WhatsApp. Well… it’s not much of an integration to be precise — OpenAI has used the same 1-800 number and created a business WhatsApp account with it, essentially allowing you to chat with the AI assistant directly on the messaging platform.
Similar to ChatGPT on a live line, the WhatsApp implementation has a daily limit too, although OpenAI didn’t quantify it. “We provide a notice as you approach the limit and inform you when the limit has been reached,” it added. Additionally, ChatGPT on WhatsApp has a weaker feture set when compared to the chatbot’s dedicated app/website. It only supports text-based interactions, with features like ChatGPT Search, custom instructions and memory, image prompts, and more not available to use. It is not possible to add 1-800-ChatGPT to group chats, and its knowledge is also capped at October 2023.
Additionally, OpenAI will have access to your conversations with the chatbot on WhatsApp, and it may review them “for safety and abuse prevention purposes.”
I’d imagine the move doesn’t sit too well with Meta, considering that it already has its Meta AI chatbot front and center on WhatsApp. It’s unlikely that Meta can directly block or prevent OpenAI from offering ChatGPT on WhatsApp — such is the nature of business accounts on the messaging platform.
