That’s one way to ensure you always get replies, right? Today, OpenAI announced the release of ChatGPT on WhatsApp. Sorta. OpenAI isn’t officially displacing the mightily annoying Meta AI chatbot but has instead made its GPT chatbot a full-on contact in your phone.
1-800-CHATGPT is the phone number you’ll want to add if you’re looking to make ‘friends’ with the chatbot over Meta’s messenger. If anyone is confused as to why the number has letters in it, we’ll spell it out for you: 1-800-242-8478. Users can even give it a ring on ye olde landline (in the US).
ChatGPT’s big expansion
You can now talk to ChatGPT by calling 1-800-ChatGPT (1-800-242-8478) in the U.S. or by sending a WhatsApp message to the same number—available everywhere ChatGPT is. pic.twitter.com/R0XOPut7Qw
— OpenAI (@OpenAI) December 18, 2024
Aside from the portability and the overall gimmicky nature of the feature, there’s no difference between the ChatGPT model here, and the free model you’d find on OpenAI’s website. Both use the GPT-40 mini model to power your results, meaning it won’t make images for you on the fly nor can it analyse images sent its way.
Getting it to work is simple. Add the number we mentioned earlier as a contact in your phone, head over to WhatsApp and voila. ChatGPT has its very own business account. Shoot it a message and the bot will automatically respond with a disclaimer that a response means you agree to OpenAI’s terms and privacy policy. It adds that messages might be reviewed for “safety” so don’t ask it anything you wouldn’t ask your mother.
Read More: WhatsApp will drop support for older phones in 2025 – find out if yours made the cut
The experience is about what you’d expect. It’s… ChatGPT on WhatsApp. Ask it for a recipe, or recommendations for fine-dining outlets in the area (you’ll need to give it a basic idea of your location first). Don’t go in expecting groundbreaking AI and you’ll be more than happy with the chatbot’s abilities.
ChatGPT on WhatsApp is part of the company’s ongoing 12 Days of OpenAI promotion, which sees it drop a whole bunch of new features on the daily. Some, like WhatsApp’s new chatbot, could be considered “stocking fillers” while others like the release of Sora fall under the “big” category.
