OpenAI goes retro, making ChatGPT available over the phone

On day 10 of its Christmas holiday-themed press blitz, OpenAI announced one of the most intriguing updates yet, saying ChatGPT is now available over the telephone.

It’s now possible to call ChatGPT directly, and for free, at 1-800-CHATGPT, and engage with it for up to 15 minutes per month, though standard carrier fees may apply.

The new feature was reportedly dreamed up just a few weeks ago, said OpenAI Chief Product Officer Kevin Weil in a livestream that announced it to the world. It’s available only to users in the U.S. at this time, but for those who live elsewhere, they’ll instead be able to talk to ChatGPT over WhatsApp. That service is rolling out globally from today, and can be accessed at 1-800-242-8478, OpenAI said.

The 15-minute limitation for those who want to call ChatGPT and converse with it directly is said to be per phone number, per month, so users could theoretically use Google Voice to create a few more numbers and basically get unlimited access to the service.

According to OpenAI, the phone number was created using the Realtime application programming interface, while the WhatsApp messaging feature is powered by the GPT-4o mini model, which is integrated with the WhatsApp API.

Weil said on the livestream that the phone call feature is intended to get more people to start using AI for the first time. They’ll be able to talk to what is really a simplified version of ChatGPT, and it represents a “low-cost way to try it out” through a more familiar channel, he said.

For users seeking more comprehensive features, with higher usage limits and personalization, the regular ChatGPT interface remains their best bet.

“Our mission is to make artificial general intelligence beneficial to all of humanity, and part of that is making it as accessible as possible to as many people as we can,” Weil said during a livestream. “Today, we’re taking the next step and bringing ChatGPT to your telephone.”

As far as the actual experience goes, it will be immediately familiar to anyone who has used ChatGPT’s Advanced Voice Mode, which enables users to engage with the chatbot in a conversational way. It will respond to users’ questions over the phone, and can handle tasks such as translations, OpenAI said.

You can now talk to ChatGPT by calling 1-800-ChatGPT (1-800-242-8478) in the U.S. or by sending a WhatsApp message to the same number—available everywhere ChatGPT is. pic.twitter.com/R0XOPut7Qw

— OpenAI (@OpenAI) December 18, 2024

It’s worth noting that Google LLC announced a similar tool for Google Search way back in 2007. It enabled people to call the Google Search engine directly via GOOG-411, providing free directory assistance via voice. However, the service was quietly discontinued three years later, without any official announcement. Later, it was revealed by Google’s then-Vice President Marissa Mayer that the service had been part of an effort by Google to collect a database of voice samples to power its speech recognition technology.

OpenAI appears to be aware of this footnote from history, and a spokesperson later told media that the company won’t be using any of the call recordings to train its large language models.

As for the WhatsApp integration, that will be a more traditional chat experience, enabling users to interact with ChatGPT from directly within the popular messaging app. It’ll be a basic, back-and-forth exchange, without the customization options available in the official ChatGPT application.

The best part is that users won’t need an account to interact with ChatGPT, but they will face limits. OpenAI said users will receive a notification as they approach their daily limit, but it didn’t say how many queries people will be restricted to.

The company is working on additional features for ChatGPT WhatsApp, including image analysis and web search, but hasn’t said when they’ll become available.

Image: SiliconANGLE/Stability AI

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