You've got a new contact in your WhatsApp — ChatGPT.
Yes, the all-conquering Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbot is now accessible within the WhatsApp app you already use to message family, friends, and Group Chats. You can interact with ChatGPT using your voice or sending pictures and images.
Parent company OpenAI first announced its intentions to bring ChatGPT into the most popular messaging app on the planet at the end of last year. And now, it's finally available for everyone to access.
OpenAI says anyone can start a conversation with ChatGPT from within WhatsApp via 1-800-242-8478 or scanning the QR code above
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If you want to speak to ChatGPT to ask a question, just dial the number 1-800-242-8478. For those who don't know, "1-800" is a toll-free number that charges the cost of making a long-distance call to the owner (OpenAI, in this case).
You can also scan the QR code above to immediately launch a WhatsApp conversation to speak, type, or send images to ChatGPT.
When it first floated the idea, OpenAI said consistent access to high-speed data can be difficult and costly for many, and the new WhatsApp account would enable more people to try out ChatGPT through a familiar channel.
Now, as part of an update to the service, OpenAI said it was allowing voice and image inputs when contacting the chatbot on 1-800-242-8478, much like existing OpenAI account holders can on the chatbot’s dedicated app and website. It's not possible to add ChatGPT to group chats, so you'll need to talk with the AI chatbot one-on-one for now.
ChatGPT is also baked into the latest version of iOS — the operating system that powers the iPhone — to help out Apple's own Siri chatbot with complex queries and generative tasks.
OpenAI, once backed by SpaceX and Tesla executive Elon Musk, said it was also starting to roll out the ability for existing ChatGPT subscribers – including those on its free tier – to link their account to WhatsApp to get additional usage on the messaging platform.
The California-based AI startup is keen to get ChatGPT in front of the biggest number of users as possible as it seeks to increase its revenue streams and keep investors in the start-up happy – Meta-owned WhatsApp has around two billion monthly active users worldwide.
WhatsApp is starting to get a little crowded. Just last year, Mark Zuckerberg's Meta started to introduce its own AI chatbot into the messaging service.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk pictured on-stage with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman during an event called "What Will They Think of Next? Talking About Innovation" hosted by Vanity Fair GETTY IMAGES OpenAI says it has expanded its subscriber options in recent months, including launching a 200 dollars-a-month (£159) subscription tier to access the very latest AI models it has developed.
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The firm and its other big name US-based rivals such as Google’s Gemini are also facing a new challenge from China-based DeepSeek, which says it has developed AI models capable of matching ChatGPT’s competence for a fraction of the cost US firms have been operating with.
Last week, news of DeepSeek’s emergence on the scene sent US tech stocks and wider markets tumbling as the long-held view that developing cutting edge AI was a multi-billion dollar investment was upended by DeepSeek’s claim it had developed its latest model for less than 10 million dollars.
Additional Reporting By Martyn Landi, PA Technology Correspondent
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