OpenAI is revolutionizing the accessibility of its flagship conversational AI, allowing even non-account holders to experience its power and potential. However, this free entry into the world of ChatGPT comes with its own set of limitations, including the use of your conversations for training unless otherwise specified.
Starting today, select markets have the opportunity to dive straight into conversation with ChatGPT by simply visiting chat.openai.com. No longer will you be prompted to log in, although the option is still available. This means that you will get the same experience and use the same model as those with accounts.
It’s worth noting that this free version of ChatGPT comes with limited features. For example, saving and sharing chats, using custom instructions, and other account-specific functions are not available. However, you still have the ability to opt out of your conversations being used for training. Just click the question mark in the bottom right corner, then “settings” and disable the feature. As a helpful guide, OpenAI has provided a gif for reference:
- Signed out version of ChatGPT will have slightly more restrictive content policies
But what does that mean exactly? When asked, a spokesperson offered a lengthy and vague response:
The signed out experience will benefit from the existing safety mitigations that are already built into the model, such as refusing to generate harmful content. In addition to these existing mitigations, we are also implementing additional safeguards specifically designed to address other forms of content that may be inappropriate for a signed out experience. We considered the potential ways in which a logged out service could be used in inappropriate ways, informed by our understanding of the capabilities of GPT-3.5 and risk assessments that we’ve completed.
Basically, they are implementing measures to prevent the generation of harmful content, but they have not disclosed the specifics of these “additional safeguards.” As more users flock to this free version of ChatGPT, OpenAI welcomes feedback and acknowledges that they may need to make further improvements.
One major concern with this new offering is the potential for misuse and weaponization of the model. How will OpenAI handle this? The spokesperson had this to say:
We’ve also carefully considered how we can detect and stop misuse of the signed out experience, and the teams responsible for detecting, preventing, and responding to abuse have been involved throughout the design and implementation of this experience and will continue to inform its design moving forward.
Essentially, they are prepared to respond to any misuse but do not have a concrete plan in place to prevent it. It’s an issue that will likely need to be addressed as more people take advantage of this free access.
It’s unknown which areas or groups will have access to this ultra-free version of ChatGPT first. Keep checking back to see if you are among the lucky ones. Remember to use appropriate HTML tags to format the article in a visually appealing and organized way.
