• OpenAI has announced that its ChatGPT platform is available to access without the need for sign up or login.
• The generative AI company also noted that users can turn off the training data function.
• The news was announced on 1st April, but is indeed legit, making GPT-3.5 available to more people.

Yesterday (1st April) is the most hated day in tech journalism, especially when it comes to knowing what is true and what is too good to be true. As such, one could easily be forgiven for thinking the latest announcement from generative AI company OpenAI was a joke, but as it turns out, it is indeed legitimate.

This as the company has made its ChatGPT platform available to a wider audience thanks to the ability to open up threads without the need to sign up or log into your profile.

“More than 100 million people across 185 countries use ChatGPT weekly to learn something new, find creative inspiration, and get answers to their questions. Starting today, you can use ChatGPT instantly, without needing to sign-up,” noted OpenAI in a blog post.

“We’re rolling this out gradually, with the aim to make AI accessible to anyone curious about its capabilities,” it added.

We tested it out for ourselves, and as OpenAI has explained, you can now use the GPT-3.5 model without logging in or signing up. That said, ChatGPT is not yet aware of the change, despite issuing a response on command.

“As of my last update in January 2022, GPT-3.5 wasn’t available without a login. However, OpenAI may have made changes or updates since then. To get the most accurate and up-to-date information, I recommend checking OpenAI’s official website or contacting their support directly. They frequently update their services and offerings, so it’s best to verify with them directly for the most current information regarding access to GPT-3.5,” it replied when asked whether GPT-3.5 was accessible sans log in or sign up.

Along with making access more widely available, OpenAI has put in more safeguards, such as allowing you to turn training data off, as well as blocking prompts and generated content on a wider range of categories.

“There are many benefits to creating an account including the ability to save and review your chat history, share chats, and unlock additional features like voice conversations and custom instructions,” it concluded.

While there is an option to restrict training data, it is clear this latest move is designed to help the platform get more data to improve its model, as the competition in this space intensifies with each passing day.