OpenAI started allowing non-accounting users to access ChatGPT on Monday. As part of its goal to “make tools like ChatGPT broadly available so that people can experience the benefits of AI,” it explained the move. Additionally, it provides the business with more training data (for those who choose not to opt out) and can encourage more people to register and subscribe for better GPT-4 access rather than the outdated GPT-3.5 model that is available to free users.
I tried the quick access, and it worked as promised, enabling me to launch a new GPT-3.5 thread without requiring a login. The typical “How can I help you today?” screen from the chatbot shows, along with optional buttons to log in or sign up. OpenAI states that access is being gradually rolled out, so even though I saw it today, check back later if you haven’t seen the choice yet.
OpenAI says it added extra safeguards for accountless users, including blocking prompts and image generations in more categories than logged-in users. When asked for more info on what new categories it’s blocking, an OpenAI spokesperson told me that, while developing the feature, it considered how logged-out GPT-3.5 users could potentially introduce new threats.
The spokesperson added that the teams in charge of detecting and stopping abuse of its AI models have been involved in creating the new feature and will adjust accordingly if unexpected threats emerge. Of course, it still blocks everything it does for signed-in users, as detailed in its moderation API.
You can opt out of data training for your prompts when not signed in. To do so, click on the little question mark to the right of the text box, then select Settings and turn off the toggle for “Improve the model for everyone.”
OpenAI says more than 100 million people across 185 countries use ChatGPT weekly. Those are staggering numbers for an 18-month-old service from a company many people still hadn’t heard of two years ago. Today’s move gives those hesitant to create an account an incentive to take the world-changing chatbot for a spin, boosting those numbers even more.
