OpenAI has gotten into the holiday spirit by launching 12 Days of OpenAI. Each day at 10am PST they release a new product or feature to the world. We are currently on day 11 of their 12 day ship’mas extravaganza. Previous days have seen massive product launches of their new Sora video model and ChatGPT Search. The most exciting one of them all though has been the product they launched yesterday on day 10, something called 1-800-chatgpt.
You can now, toll free, call ChatGPT on any phone in the United States. For people outside of the US you can talk to it via WhatsApp. How cool is that! No account or credit card required. Just a friend you can phone 24/7 for whatever you need. This may seem like a small gimmicky feature but it’s actually one of their most profound launches to date, because now everyone has easy access to AI.
Nothing is truly mainstream until our parents, and to an extent our grandparents, start using the technology. My grandpa lives on a small farm in Kansas. He has no WiFi at his house, and most days he keeps his cell phone turned off and in a drawer. He does use his landline phone every day though. With this latest launch he can now talk to the most powerful language model in the world, using only his voice. No set up necessary, just call and chat. AI has jumped the walled garden of the internet and is getting embedded into more aspects of our lives. Now it can live as a contact in our phones. The barrier to entry on AI is getting closer to zero.
In addition to having the technically challenged use AI, there are countless other use cases of the new toll free AI number.
- Anywhere there is poor cell service. Stranded in the middle of Montana with a flat tire? The ChatGPT app may not work but you might be able to make a phone call. Now the AI can walk you through step by step how to change that flat tire, all for free.
- Find yourself in jail for a crime you were wrongly convicted for? The AI can be your one phone call, and might give you better advice than a paid lawyer.
- Are you one question away from untold riches on “Who wants to be a millionaire?” Phone your AI friend and have them provide an immediate answer to win the cash prize.
The power of AI is now available to everyone. No one knows what will happen when every human has equal access to limitless intelligence. Now we are one step closer. If you’ve never tried out ChatGPT before, get out your phone and make the call!