ChatGPT
Advanced AI chatbot by OpenAI for conversations and assistance
ChatGPT launched in November 2022 and reached a million users in five days, faster than any consumer product before it. It runs on OpenAI’s GPT-4o model, which handles text, images, files, and voice inside a single conversation thread. The interface is approachable enough for someone who’s never used AI before, yet the underlying capabilities are deep enough that developers, lawyers, analysts, and writers treat it as a daily work tool.
Beyond plain text chat, the paid version covers a surprising amount of ground. You can upload a PDF and ask it to pull out specific sections or compare two documents, paste in spreadsheet data for quick analysis, have it write and execute Python inside a sandbox environment, and browse the web to pull in current information. Voice mode supports natural spoken conversations, not just dictated commands. Custom GPTs let anyone configure a specialised version of ChatGPT (a customer support assistant, a lesson planner, a legal drafter) and share it through a link.
The free tier covers basic use with rate limits; ChatGPT Plus at $20/month gives priority access and higher capacity. Team and Enterprise plans add data privacy controls, longer context windows, and admin tooling for organisations. The OpenAI API gives developers direct model access for building their own products. With over 200 million weekly active users as of late 2024, it remains the reference point every other AI assistant is measured against.