OpenAI has announced that several features previously exclusive to subscribers are now available to all ChatGPT users. The most notable change is the opening of the GPT Store, which allows users to browse and use various custom chatbots. This announcement was made by CTO Mira Murati during the company's Spring update livestream.
New Features for Free Users
The GPT Store, initially launched for paid subscribers on January 10th, enables users to interact with a variety of custom-built chatbots, known as GPTs. These bots cover a wide range of functionalities, including image generation, scientific research assistance, and logo creation. Despite the initial restriction to paying users, OpenAI has now extended access to free users, significantly broadening the audience for these tools. However, free users can only access and use the custom GPTs, not create them.
Additional Updates and Enhancements
In addition to the GPT Store, OpenAI has introduced GPT-4o, described as a multimodal model with capabilities in chatbot interactions, vision-based analysis, and live chat. GPT-4o enhances the functionality of ChatGPT by integrating voice recognition, which offers real-time responsiveness and emotional recognition in voice communications. This makes GPT-4o a natively multimodal platform, capable of accepting and generating text, audio, and image inputs and outputs. These capabilities were detailed in a previous announcement, highlighting GPT-4o's ability to respond to audio inputs swiftly and handle multilingual tasks more efficiently than its predecessors.
Furthermore, the company has announced the development of a desktop application for Mac, with a Windows version expected later in the year. The web interface for ChatGPT is also being updated to enhance user experience, focusing on simplifying interaction with the chatbot.
Expanded Functionality for Free Users
OpenAI is also providing free users with several other features that were previously exclusive to subscribers. These include the ability to upload files and photos for summary and analysis, web search capabilities within ChatGPT, and the use of GPT-4 with memory of previous conversations. These enhancements aim to make ChatGPT more accessible and functional for a broader user base.
Revenue-Sharing Program for GPT Creators
The company has indicated plans to implement an engagement-based revenue-sharing program for creators of GPTs, which began testing in March. This initiative is expected to incentivize the development of more diverse and specialized chatbots, further enriching the GPT Store's offerings.
OpenAI's latest updates mark a shift towards making advanced AI tools more accessible to the general public, fostering greater innovation and collaboration within the AI community. The strategic timing of these announcements, particularly the introduction of GPT-4o just one day before the Google I/O 2024 conference, underscores OpenAI's ongoing influence in the competitive AI landscape.
