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If you’ve spent some time on social media recently, you’ve probably seen countless videos showing the kind of things ChatGPT can do.
OpenAI launched in late 2022 and released ChatGPT for free in a research preview format.
While the company only offers this as an online tool, experts have now warned against multiple scammers packaging ChatGPT into a serviceable app with a mobile-friendly interface – but many of these unofficial apps are riddled with problems.
Fake ChatGPT apps
For us, a quick search for “GPT” in the iOS App Store resulted in one app that topped all results: an ad. It states that it is powered by OpenAI’s free GTP-3 technology, but offers a monthly subscription of £7.99 per month to unlock “full monthly access” to a fundamentally free service.
Another app further down the search results averages 4.7 stars out of more than 900 total reviews. It is also powered by GPT-3 and offers paid plans ranging from Lite to Pro and Advanced; the most expensive costs £12.99 per month. We found the same app on the Google Play Store, with paid plans and a similarly high rating of 4.5 stars (over nearly 300 reviews).
In addition to apps that explicitly claim to build on GPT technology, MacRumors (opens in new tab) reportedly found an app claiming: “[gave] the impression that it is the official app for the ChatGPT bot, but seems to have no affiliation with Open AI, the makers of ChatGPT or the bot itself.”
It cost $7.99 a week for ad-free access, ranked number two on the App Store’s productivity charts, and had more than 12,000 reviews.
The app has since been removed; Tech Radar Pro has reached out to Apple for further comment on how it monitors apps that make it onto the App Store and subsequently hit the charts. OpenAI did not immediately respond to our request for more information about its thoughts behind such apps.