Exploring ChatGPT Plus: A Peek Behind the Scenes

ChatGPT comes without a price tag, but don't mistake that for OpenAI's lack of financial interest.

Enter ChatGPT Plus—a subscription offering. It grants access to a distinct service rooted in GPT-4. The Plus version boasts faster speeds and enhanced reliability.

What's ChatGPT Plus All About?

Inside information regarding ChatGPT Plus had been circulating for weeks, but the official announcement finally landed on February 1, 2023, via an OpenAI blog post. OpenAI, the brains behind the popular generative text AI, made the revelation.

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The blog post explains, “We launched ChatGPT as a research preview so we could learn more about the system's strengths and weaknesses, and gather user feedback to help us improve upon its limitations.” It goes on, “Since then, millions of people have given us feedback, we've made several important updates, and we've seen users find value across a range of professional use cases including drafting and editing content, brainstorming ideas, programming help, and learning new topics.”

Similar to its standard iteration, ChatGPT Plus is an AI chatbot offering an exceptionally accurate machine learning assistant for natural language interactions. This encompasses the latest edition of the existing chatbot.

What's the Price?

ChatGPT Plus entails a $20 monthly cost, which falls below earlier rumors. Importantly, the free version of ChatGPT remains accessible, ensuring payment isn't a prerequisite for utilizing the service.

However, the sustainability of this price point remains to be seen. Reports hint at a daily operational cost of up to $700,000, yet the current subscriber count for ChatGPT Plus remains undisclosed.

What Does ChatGPT Plus Provide?

At its inception, ChatGPT offered access to three specific features:

  • General access to ChatGPT, including peak hours
  • Accelerated response times
  • Priority access to new features and enhancements

During peak times, uninterrupted access to ChatGPT stands out as the prime benefit of ChatGPT Plus. Given instances where some users experienced hours-long waits to gain access, this aspect alone should drive the popularity of the subscription model. The prospect of receiving early access to fresh features and improvements adds intrigue, despite the mystery shrouding these upcoming additions.

The significance extends beyond just stepping ahead in line. ChatGPT Plus officially taps into GPT-4, the latest large language model (LLM), which vastly extends the capabilities of the standard ChatGPT using GPT-3.5. OpenAI attests that GPT-4 delivers 40% more factual responses and substantially bolsters collaboration for creative tasks. In many aspects, the extent of GPT-4's power over GPT-3.5 is still unfolding, and some see hints of AGI (artificial general intelligence).

GPT-4 introduces other significant features like processing visual input, longer text inputs and outputs, and the ability to access data preceding 2022 from the internet. GPT-4 particularly boasts a sizable word limit of 25,000 words, in contrast to ChatGPT's 3,000.

For those curious, exploring it is simple, and if needed, canceling the account is just as easy.

Why is OpenAI Charging?

Operating ChatGPT involves substantial costs—hosting, upkeep, hardware upgrades, updates, satisfying investors, and more. The surge in popularity necessitates improved accessibility and speed to cater to a broader user base. Estimated daily operational expenses vary between $100,000 and $3 million per month! The premium subscription model helps offset server upgrades.

It's reasonable to assume that the premium tier will manage bandwidth, particularly during peak hours.

Can I Enroll in ChatGPT Plus Now?

Absolutely. ChatGPT Plus initially launched through an invite-only early access phase. However, now you can transition to ChatGPT Plus by selecting “Upgrade to Plus” at the bottom of the sidebar.

Alternatively, you can explore some of GPT-4's capabilities through Bing Chat, which also employs GPT-4 for its chats.

ChatGPT Plus: What's Next?

OpenAI is already working on the subsequent iterations of its LLM, particularly GPT-4.5. While details are scarce, it's expected to build upon GPT-4's foundation. OpenAI suggests that GPT-4.5 could be fully trained and operational by September or October of this year.

It's conceivable that GPT-4.5 will roll out to ChatGPT Plus subscribers, though the specifics of introducing new chatbot versions remain unknown.

GPT-5 was once rumored, but OpenAI has since indicated that it's no longer on their immediate timeline.

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