With the recent release of the free ChatGPT app for iOS, iPhone and iPad owners now have a simple way to test out the AI-powered tool.
The new app, which has remarkably human-like conversational abilities, is currently accessible in the U.S. App Store and will launch in additional nations “in the coming weeks,” according to OpenAI. A ChatGPT app for Android users is promised “soon.”
OpenAI listed some of the tasks that you might want to use the ChatGPT mobile app for in a post on its website that introduced it. They consist of:
- Instant answers: Get precise information without sifting through ads or multiple results.
- Tailored advice: Seek guidance on cooking, travel plans, or crafting thoughtful messages.
- Creative inspiration: Generate gift ideas, outline presentations, or write the perfect poem.
- Professional input: Boost productivity with idea feedback, note summarization, and technical topic assistance.
- Learning opportunities: Explore new languages, modern history, and more at your own pace.
OpenAI’s open-source speech-recognition system
The ChatGPT app also integrates Whisper, OpenAI’s open-source speech-recognition system for voice input. Subscribers to ChatGPT Plus will get early access to new features, faster response times in the app, and exclusive access to GPT-4 — a model more advanced than GPT-3.5, which powers ChatGPT.
“With the ChatGPT app for iOS, we’re taking another step towards our mission by transforming state-of-the-art research into useful tools that empower people, while continuously making them more accessible,” OpenAI said.
It could be that with Apple’s Siri digital assistant lacking the same kind of impressive AI smarts displayed by ChatGPT, some iPhone users will find themselves conversing more with OpenAI’s offering for virtual chats and inquiries.
Following its release in November, ChatGPT quickly went viral, with its success turbocharging AI development by other tech giants such as Google and Meta, though numerous startups are also entering the sector.
This debate has also ignited heated discussions regarding the extent to which similarly powerful generative AI technology will impact industries and wider society, both complementing jobs and replacing many others. Some AI experts, including Geoffrey Hinton, often referred to as the “godfather of AI,” have expressed the view that while the technology presents numerous potential benefits, it is imperative to urgently implement regulation in order to decrease the likelihood of nefarious purposes exploiting it.
Hinton even expressed fears that the technology could one day become too powerful and destroy humanity itself. OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, also warned recently that we may not be that that far from “potentially scary” AI and said that regulating it is “critical.”
In a bid to keep up with the fast-evolving technology, lawmakers in the U.S. and beyond are currently looking at how to regulate the technology.