ChatGPT creator launches subscription service for viral Al chatbot
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OpenAl announces piloting a $20 monthly subscription for users to be able to access the Al chatbot even during peak times.
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The logo for OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, appears on a mobile phone, in New York, Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023 (AP)
OpenAI, the firm behind ChatGPT, revealed on Wednesday it is piloting a $20 monthly subscription plan that allows users to access the AI chatbot even during peak times.
ChatGPT Plus, the paid plan, comes two months after the bot was released and went viral quickly, due to its ability to generate shockingly persuasive essays in response to user prompts.
Many people who wanted to try the free tool have been locked out or sent to a waitlist. Now, those who sign up for a subscription will benefit from faster response times in addition to priority access to new features.
“We love our free users and will continue to offer free access to ChatGPT,” the company said in a blog post. “By offering this subscription pricing, we will be able to help support free access available to as many people as possible.”
ChatGPT Plus will be available first in the United States and soon later in other countries, according to the company. OpenAI said it will start inviting people from the waitlist in the weeks ahead.
The company also said it is “actively exploring options for lower-cost plans, business plans, and data packs for more availability.”
“The preview for ChatGPT allowed us to learn from real-world use, and we’ve made important improvements and updates based on feedback,” the company said in a statement to CNN.
Since late November, ChatGPT has been used to generate original essays, stories and song lyrics and has drafted research paper abstracts that fooled some scientists. Some CEOs have even benefitted from the chatbot to write their emails or do accounting work.
Read: Top French university bans students from using ChatGPT
ChatGPT has raised some concerns due to some inaccuracies, the possibility to perpetuate biases and spread misinformation, and especially because students have been using it to cheat.
OpenAI announced earlier this week a new feature, an “AI text classifier,” that allows users to check if an essay was written by a human or AI. The new tool, however, is “imperfect,” according to the company.
![In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had "engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)](https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2024/12/21/b4a69f2e-8682-43e4-9d37-49482b304ab3/3.png?v=2&format=webp "In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had \"engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)")
