ChatGPT’s developer, OpenAI, has opened its older GPT 3.5 model up to users without accounts.
According to a blog post on OpenAI’s website, the update would roll out gradually “with the aim to make AI [artificial intelligence] accessible to anyone curious about its capabilities.”
The company noted that data gathered through users’ interactions with the chatbot could be used for training the system, though it is possible to opt out of that via the settings.
It also said that “additional content safeguards” had been incorporated into ChatGPT for account-less users.
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Benefits to making an account – which is free – include the ability to save and review chat history, share chats, and unlock additional features like voice conversations and custom instructions, OpenAI said in its post.
ChatGPT 4.0, meanwhile, is not free to use. It can only be accessed with a subscription plan, but offers advanced features like the ability to understand and generate multiple forms of data inputs (such as text, images and sound) simultaneously.
Launched in late 2022, ChatGPT is a powerful AI tool used by many people around the world to increase their productivity and learn new things. However, the technology is not without controversy. The information it outputs can be inaccurate, leading to the spread of misinformation, and it can also enable plagiarism.
According to OpenAI, more than 100 million people across 185 countries use ChatGPT weekly.
