Beyond smartphones: ChatGPT now available on landlines (and WhatsApp)

What just happened? OpenAI is trying to make access to its artificial intelligence as inclusive as possible. By extending ChatGPT's reach to landlines and popular messaging platforms, the company is paving the way for broader adoption of its generative AI tool.

In a move acknowledging that not everyone has or wants a smartphone, OpenAI has announced the expansion of ChatGPT's accessibility to landline phones.

As of Wednesday afternoon, anyone in the United States can now engage with ChatGPT by dialing 1-800-242-8478 (1-800-CHATGPT), allowing users to interact with the AI assistant through voice conversations. The service offers a 15-minute free calling period, after which the call automatically terminates.

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 in all locations where ChatGPT is accessible.

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

Comparisons between ChatGPT's new availability on landlines and its Advanced Voice Mode are not as direct as they might initially seem. While both features involve voice interactions with ChatGPT, they are separate implementations with some key differences.

Advanced Voice Mode is a feature available to ChatGPT Plus, Pro, and Team subscribers through the ChatGPT mobile app and web interface. It uses more sophisticated technology, including GPT-4o, a natively multimodal model that can directly process and generate audio, allowing for more natural, real-time conversations.

By contrast, the landline service focuses on basic functionality like answering questions and translating sentences. Absent are the advanced features of Advanced Voice Mode such as emotion recognition or multimodal capabilities.

Simultaneously, OpenAI has added ChatGPT integration with WhatsApp, catering to users who prefer text-based interactions. Here too, this version offers a more basic experience compared to the official ChatGPT app. But as with the landline accessibility, it provides a way for WhatsApp users to access the AI assistant without needing to create a separate account.

The WhatsApp integration comes with certain limitations, including a daily usage cap. Users will receive notifications as they approach this limit, at which point they can continue their interactions by downloading the ChatGPT app or using the desktop version.

One significant constraint is the absence of group chat support, meaning ChatGPT cannot be added to WhatsApp group conversations.

OpenAI has hinted at upcoming enhancements for the WhatsApp integration in a livestream announcing the two products, including image analysis and web search capabilities, though no specific timeline has been provided for these features.

Interestingly, this expansion originated from a hack week project, according to OpenAI chief product officer Kevin Weil.

"The team built this just a few weeks ago, and we loved it, and they hustled really hard to ship it, and it's awesome to see it here," he said.