You can now Call ChatGPT on the phone

If you’ve ever felt alone and just needed someone to talk to, OpenAI has you covered. The company today announced that anyone can now call ChatGPT by phone at 1-800-CHATGPT (242-8478). Callers are limited to 15 minutes per month; anyone outside the US can also text with ChatGPT via WhatsApp at the same number.

OpenAI has been pushing voice and video interactions recently as a more natural way to interact with ChatGPT. Users of the ChatGPT app can turn on their cameras and ask the bot questions about what it sees.

Today’s release seems like a gimmick to drive some cheap attention — the people using ChatGPT are likely to be tech-savvy, after all, and probably already interface with the chatbot through an app. But that’s kind of the point: OpenAI says that making ChatGPT accessible by phone can introduce the chatbot to newcomers. The company said The Virgin who will not use these conversations for training. Of course, OpenAI too it was said to be unprofitable dedicated to making life better for humanity. Things change.

Anyone who wants to use more comprehensive features or have access to higher usage limits will also want to use the standard ChatGPT app. It is similar to how ChatGPT is now integrated into iOS through Siri. Some questions will be forwarded to ChatGPT to answer, but if you want the full experience, you’ll need to go to the ChatGPT app itself. Integration with iOS is a way for OpenAI to promote the product to more than one billion Apple users.

OpenAI has been announcing new products every day recently as part of its “12 Days of Shipmas”. Other announcements were more significant, such as the release of the Sora video generator and Canvas, a new way to interface with ChatGPT. Looks like today’s announcement was more of a cheap filler.