OpenAI has published a blog post on its website announcing that ChatGPT can now be used without an account.
“We’re making it easier for people to experience the benefits of AI without needing to sign up,” the blog reads. “It’s core to our mission to make tools like ChatGPT broadly available so that people can experience the benefits of AI”.
ChatGPT 3.5 is the version available free to the public, which up until this announcement has required users to make an account in order to use it. The more powerful and advanced ChatGPT 4.0 will still require an OpenAI account, and a monthly fee of $20 USD ($30.70 AUD at the time of writing) to access.
According to OpenAI, more than 100 million people worldwide currently use ChatGPT on a weekly basis. Removing the barrier of signing up for yet another service could make that number jump significantly, making ChatGPT as easy to use as any search engine.
This change also takes it one step closer to being the default first stop on people’s information-gathering trips to the web — a crown currently held by Google.
OpenAI says this rollout will be gradual, “with the aim to make AI accessible to anyone curious about its capabilities”.
“There are many benefits to creating an account including the ability to save and review your chat history, share chats, and unlock additional features like voice conversations and custom instructions.”
Users without an account will still have the option to opt out of their ChatGPT activity being used for model training.
Main image: Getty
