OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, has said that it is testing a $20 monthly membership option that gives consumers priority access to the AI chatbot even during peak hours.
The subscription plan, named ChatGPT Plus, is available two months after the tool was publicly published and instantly went viral, thanks to its capacity to write astonishingly convincing writings in response to user queries.
Many persons who wanted to test the tool were either denied access or placed on a waiting list. Anyone who signs up for a membership will now get speedier response times as well as first access to new features and upgrades. However, the tool will remain free to the broader public.
“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 availability to as many people as possible.”
According to the company, ChatGPT Plus will be offered initially in the United States and then in other nations. OpenAI stated that it will begin inviting people from its waitlist in the coming weeks. In addition, the corporation stated that it is currently researching solutions for lower-cost plans, business plans, and data packs for increased availability.
ChatGPT has been used to generate creative essays, novels, and song lyrics in response to user queries since its release in late November. It has created research paper abstracts that have deceived some scientists. Some CEOs have even used it to send emails or do accounting tasks.
While it has acquired popularity among users, it has also highlighted several issues, such as inaccuracies, the ability to perpetuate bias and propagate misinformation, and the possibility to assist students in cheating.
OpenAI released a new feature called a “AI text classifier” earlier this week, which allows users to determine whether an essay was authored by a human or AI. The announcement comes amid concerns that the AI chatbot could assist students and professionals in writing compelling essays. However, the new tool is still widely perceived to be imperfect.