OpenAI Drops Sign Up Need To Access ChatGPT

OpenAI logo displayed on a smartphone. Artificial intelligence, AI, ChatGPT

AI pioneer to give users the ability to start using ChatGPT instantly, after dropping requirement for sign up

OpenAI is dropping the requirement for users to sign up in order to utilise AI technology with its ChatGPT chatbot.

The AI pioneer announced the move to make ChatGPT instantly available to any user, as it seeks to “make tools like ChatGPT broadly available so that people can experience the benefits of AI.”

OpenAI has been busy of late. In February it began offering a new tool (Sora) that could create short form videos simply from written instructions.

chatgpt, smartphone, ai, artificial intelligence, chatbot
Image credit: Matheus Bertelli/Pexels

No sign up

But not all advancements are welcome at this time.

This week OpenAI announced it had decided to delay the general release of its voice cloning tool (Voice Engine), in an effort minimise misinformation ahead of important elections around the world.

But OpenAI is still trying to encourage more people to use ChatGPT – hence dropping the need for a sign up.

“We’re making it easier for people to experience the benefits of AI without needing to sign up,” OpenAI stated in the blog post. “It’s core to our mission to make tools like ChatGPT broadly available so that people can experience the benefits of AI.”

It pointed out that more than 100 million people across 185 countries use ChatGPT weekly.

“Starting today, you can use ChatGPT instantly, without needing to sign-up,” the firm stated. “ We’re rolling this out gradually, with the aim to make AI accessible to anyone curious about its capabilities.”

“We may use what you provide to ChatGPT to improve our models for everyone,” it added. “If you’d like, you can turn this off through your Settings – whether you create an account or not.”

San Francisco-based OpenAI said it has also introduced additional content safeguards for users accessing ChatGPT without signing up, such as blocking prompts and generations in a wider range of categories.

It did not specify these categories.

Paid options

OpenAI offers a free version of ChatGPT that does not have direct access to the internet.

The firm also offers paid versions for customers, team users and enterprises.

Elon Musk recently sued OpenAI and its chief executive Sam Altman alleging breach of contract. Musk alleged the firm is no longer following its original non-profit principles and has abandoned its original mission to develop artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity.

OpenAI responded with a withering rebuttal of Elon Musk’s allegations, using his own words provided in previous email correspondence to dismantle Musk’s claims.