As the end of the year approaches, the holiday season lights up with festivity.
It's a time to celebrate, create precious moments, reflect, and look forward to new beginnings. For OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, the company is also into the festivity, and its way is through '12 Days of OpenAI,' in which it promises daily updates and announcements about its AI products.
And this time, on its the tenth day, OpenAI said that people can now call ChatGPT on their phones.
In the U.S., people can call 1-800-ChatGPT and talk to the AI.
"To start, people in the U.S. will get 15 minutes per month of voice calling," said OpenAI.
For people elsewhere, they can simply save this number (1-800-242-8478) to their contact, and talk to ChatGPT from WhatsApp.
This is a way to let people engage with AI even if they're on a low-data mobile connection.
1-800-ChatGPT pic.twitter.com/2eLPgR8Bpp
— OpenAI (@OpenAI) December 18, 2024
WhatsApp, with over 2.7 billion users worldwide and projected to surpass 3 billion next year, stands as one of the most popular messaging platforms globally.
Its immense reach makes it a crucial space for OpenAI to integrate, especially as Meta AI continues to gain traction.
In regions where stable high-speed internet is costly or unreliable, people often rely on platforms like WhatsApp for seamless communication without heavy data usage.
By bringing ChatGPT to WhatsApp, users can interact naturally through chat, just like talking to a person, all while skipping the extra data demands of the ChatGPT app.
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
The service runs on the GPT-4o-mini model, the same one used in the free version of ChatGPT, made possible through an integration with WhatsApp API.
OpenAI highlighted several ways users can benefit from the integration, including asking for help "with creative writing or brainstorming, offer recommendations (recipes, travel ideas, etc.), or chat about general topics like news, hobbies, or trivia."
This release is considered experimental, meaning there could be usage limits and reduced availability during peak demand.
OpenAI advised that for a more comprehensive experience with additional tools, higher limits, and personalized features, users should continue accessing ChatGPT directly through their accounts.
In the U.S., users can engage in voice conversations with ChatGPT, leveraging the same cutting-edge technology that powers Realtime API.
For a fuller experience with access to more features like search, higher limits, and greater personalization, existing users should continue using ChatGPT directly through their accounts.
— OpenAI (@OpenAI) December 18, 2024