Introduction:

OpenAI has announced that users can now access ChatGPT without needing to create an account. This change aims to make AI more accessible to everyone interested in exploring its capabilities. However, it’s important to note that this change only applies to ChatGPT, while other OpenAI products like DALL-E 3 still require an account and may come with a cost.

A Brief History:

• Since its launch at the end of 2022, ChatGPT has required users to sign up for an OpenAI account.
• ChatGPT quickly gained popularity and became one of the fastest-growing services.
• Paid subscriptions were later introduced to access advanced models like DALL-E 3.
• Account features include saving and reviewing chat history, sharing chats, and having voice conversations.

User Base and Traffic:

• Over 100 million people across 185 countries use ChatGPT weekly, according to OpenAI.
• Traffic tracker SimilarWeb reports that ChatGPT remains the most visited AI chatbot site, with an estimated 1.6 billion visitors in February.
• Although Google’s Gemini is gaining momentum, ChatGPT’s traffic has slightly decreased from its peak in May 2023 when visits surpassed 1.8 billion.

Additional Content Safeguards:

• OpenAI has implemented “additional content safeguards” for ChatGPT, including blocking prompts in various categories, though specifics were not provided.
• Users, including those without accounts, can still opt out of model training. This means they can choose whether their ChatGPT activity contributes to training OpenAI’s AI models.

Other OpenAI Products:

• Products like Voice Engine (an AI voice cloning service) and Sora (a video creation platform) are currently available only to a limited number of users and partners.
• These products are not accessible without an OpenAI account and are not included as perks of having an account.

Conclusion:

The accessibility of ChatGPT without an account marks a significant step in OpenAI’s mission to democratize AI. With more users able to explore ChatGPT’s capabilities easily, the potential for innovative applications and interactions with AI continues to grow.

(Note: Information regarding additional content safeguards and opt-out options is based on OpenAI’s statement, as specifics were not provided in the original source.)