ChatGPT, the text-generating AI developed by OpenAI, has revolutionized the digital landscape since its debut in November 2022. Initially designed to enhance productivity through essay and code writing with brief text prompts, it has grown into a colossal platform with an impressive 300 million weekly active users. The year 2024 has been particularly momentous for OpenAI, marked by collaborations, technological advancements, and new product launches. Among the highlights are the partnership with Apple for the generative AI service, Apple Intelligence, the unveiling of GPT-4o with voice capabilities, and the much-anticipated text-to-video model, Sora. OpenAI concluded the year with a "12 Days of OpenAI" event, showcasing a series of new product reveals and features, including the Sora model, real-time vision capabilities in Advanced Voice Mode, and a preview of the new "reasoning" model family: o3 and o3-mini. For a comprehensive review of the announcements, visitors can refer to the live blog. Despite these achievements, OpenAI faced internal challenges, including the departure of key executives such as co-founder and former chief scientist Ilya Sutskever and CTO Mira Murati. The company also faced legal battles, with lawsuits from Alden Global Capital-owned newspapers over copyright infringement and an injunction from Elon Musk to halt OpenAI's shift to a for-profit entity. Below is a detailed timeline of ChatGPT product updates and releases, starting with the most recent, which has been continuously updated throughout the year. For further inquiries, the ChatGPT FAQ section provides additional information.

Timeline of ChatGPT Updates and Releases:

December 2024:

• OpenAI unveils the new o3 reasoning models, succeeding the o1 family. These models are not yet widely available, but safety researchers can access a preview.
• OpenAI extends accessibility by introducing a 1-800 number for users to interact with ChatGPT from any phone, including landlines.
• ChatGPT Search is now accessible to free, logged-in users, enhancing the ability to access real-time web information.
• OpenAI attributes a significant outage to a "new telemetry service" and introduces a "Santa Mode" voice for the holiday season.
• Advanced Voice Mode gains real-time video capabilities, allowing users to interact with ChatGPT using their phone's camera.
• Canvas, OpenAI’s interface for collaborative writing and coding projects, rolls out to all users after a beta period.
• Due to high demand, OpenAI pauses new sign-ups for Sora, its video generator, and slows down video generation processes.
• Sora is released for ChatGPT Plus and Pro subscribers, enabling the creation of videos up to 20 seconds long based on text prompts.
• OpenAI introduces a $200 monthly ChatGPT Pro subscription, offering unlimited access to all models, including the full o1 model.
• OpenAI announces a series of livestreams for the "12 Days of OpenAI" event, promising product launches and demos.
• ChatGPT surpasses 300 million weekly active users, as reported by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

November 2024:

• Users discover that mentioning "David Mayer" causes ChatGPT to freeze, sparking conspiracy theories and discussions on digital privacy.
• OpenAI considers entering the advertising market, despite previous statements suggesting it would be a "last resort."
• Canadian news companies file a lawsuit against OpenAI for copyright infringement.
• GPT-4o receives an upgrade, enhancing creative writing and file analysis capabilities.
• ChatGPT’s Advanced Voice Mode becomes available on the web for paying subscribers.
• ChatGPT gains the ability to read code in popular Mac developer apps, streamlining the interaction for developers.
• OpenAI loses another lead safety researcher, Lilian Weng, to departure.
• ChatGPT directs 2 million users to seek election information from trusted sources, rejecting requests to generate candidate images.
• OpenAI acquires the domain Chat.com, expanding its portfolio of high-profile domain names.
• A former Meta executive joins OpenAI to lead robotics and consumer hardware development.
• Apple users can now upgrade to ChatGPT Plus directly through the Settings app.

October 2024:

• OpenAI CEO Sam Altman admits that limited compute capacity is a barrier to frequent product releases.
• OpenAI launches ChatGPT Search, a new search feature challenging Google's dominance.
• Advanced Voice Mode is now available for Mac and PC users.
• Reports suggest OpenAI is developing its own AI chip in collaboration with TSMC and Broadcom.
• OpenAI introduces a feature allowing users to search through their chat histories on the web.
• With the release of iOS 18.1, Apple Intelligence features powered by ChatGPT become available to users.
• OpenAI denies plans to release an AI model named Orion by the end of the year.
• OpenAI begins previewing a dedicated Windows app for ChatGPT, initially available to premium users.
• OpenAI signs a content deal with Hearst, allowing stories from Hearst publications to be surfaced in ChatGPT.
• OpenAI introduces "Canvas," a new interface for writing and coding projects, initially in beta for premium users.
• OpenAI completes the largest VC funding round in history, raising $6.6 billion and reaching a valuation of $157 billion.
• At its first Dev Day event, OpenAI announces a new API tool for developers to create real-time speech-to-speech experiences.

September 2024:

• OpenAI plans to increase the price of individual ChatGPT subscriptions to $22 per month by the end of the year, with potential further increases to $44 by 2029.
• OpenAI CTO Mira Murati, along with other executives, leaves the company.
• Advanced Voice Mode is rolled out to a broader set of paying customers, with a new design and improved features.
• A YouTube creator demonstrates how to run ChatGPT on a graphing calculator, raising concerns about cheating in schools.
• OpenAI unveils OpenAI o1, a new model capable of self-fact-checking, available in preview as "Strawberry."
• A hacker manipulates ChatGPT into providing instructions for making explosives, highlighting potential risks.
• OpenAI surpasses 1 million paid users for its business-oriented versions of ChatGPT.
• Volkswagen introduces its ChatGPT-integrated voice assistant in U.S. vehicles.

August 2024:

• OpenAI signs a content deal with Condé Nast, integrating stories from Condé Nast properties into ChatGPT.
• TechCrunch reviews OpenAI’s Advanced Voice Mode, praising its response times and unique answers.
• OpenAI bans accounts linked to an Iranian influence operation that used ChatGPT to generate election content.
• OpenAI releases a report on the quirks of GPT-4o, the model powering Advanced Voice Mode.
• ChatGPT's mobile app records its highest revenue month following the launch of GPT-4o.
• OpenAI develops a watermarking tool to detect student cheating with ChatGPT but debates its release.

July 2024:

• Advanced Voice Mode begins rolling out to select users, offering more natural and real-time conversations.
• OpenAI announces SearchGPT, a new AI search experience to rival Google.
• A report suggests OpenAI could face losses of up to $5 billion due to high operational costs.
• OpenAI introduces GPT-4o mini, a smaller and more efficient AI model that outperforms industry-leading models in reasoning tasks.
• OpenAI partners with Los Alamos National Laboratory to explore AI applications in healthcare and bioscience research.

June 2024:

• OpenAI trains CriticGPT, a model designed to identify errors in GPT-4's code output, to improve AI quality and accuracy.
• OpenAI and TIME announce a strategic partnership, bringing TIME's content to ChatGPT and enabling TIME to develop new audience-based products.
• OpenAI postpones the launch of its advanced Voice Mode due to lingering issues.
• ChatGPT releases a macOS app, enhancing user accessibility across devices.
• Apple integrates ChatGPT into Siri and other apps across its operating systems, powered by GPT-4o.
• The House Oversight Subcommittee invites Scarlett Johansson to testify about the 'Sky' voice controversy involving OpenAI.
• ChatGPT experiences two outages within a single day, prompting investigations into the causes.

May 2024:

• The Atlantic and Vox Media announce partnerships with OpenAI, allowing OpenAI to use their content for responses in ChatGPT.
• OpenAI signs a deal with PwC, making it the largest customer to date, covering 100,000 users.
• OpenAI announces it has begun training its next flagship model, the successor to GPT-4.
• A former OpenAI director claims the board was unaware of ChatGPT until its launch and received inaccurate information about safety processes.
• Following the GPT-4o launch, ChatGPT's mobile app revenue sees its largest spike to date.
• OpenAI pauses the use of its Sky voice, which users found to be similar to Scarlett Johansson's voice in "Her."
• ChatGPT allows users to upload files directly from Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive, enhancing data analysis capabilities.
• OpenAI partners with Reddit, gaining access to Reddit's content for incorporation into ChatGPT.
• OpenAI unveils GPT-4o, its new omni model with voice and vision capabilities, set to roll out across its products.
• OpenAI announces the development of Media Manager, a tool for content creators to control the use of their content in AI training.
• OpenAI releases a NSFW policy, starting a conversation about allowing explicit images and text in its AI products.
• OpenAI and Stack Overflow announce a partnership, providing OpenAI with access to Stack Overflow's API and feedback for AI model improvement.

April 2024:

• U.S. newspapers file a copyright lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft, alleging the misuse of millions of copyrighted articles.
• OpenAI partners with the Financial Times, gaining access to its content and paying for the privilege.
• OpenAI opens a new office in Tokyo and plans a GPT-4 model optimized for the Japanese language.
• Sam Altman pitches ChatGPT Enterprise to Fortune 500 companies, highlighting corporate applications of AI services.
• OpenAI releases an updated version of GPT-4 Turbo Premium, enhancing writing, math, logical reasoning, and coding capabilities.
• ChatGPT no longer requires an account for basic use, although certain features are restricted.

March 2024:

• TechCrunch reports that OpenAI's GPT Store is filled with spam and potentially copyright-infringing GPTs.
• The New York Times responds to OpenAI's claims of "hacking" in the context of a copyright lawsuit, asserting the claims are false.
• OpenAI's VP avoids answering whether artists should be compensated for training data, despite offering an opt-out tool.
• A report estimates that ChatGPT uses over half a million kilowatt-hours of electricity per day, highlighting its environmental impact.
• OpenAI releases a Read Aloud feature for the web version of ChatGPT and its mobile apps, allowing responses to be read in multiple languages.

February 2024:

• OpenAI partners with Dublin City Council to use GPT-4 for crafting personalized travel itineraries.
• A law firm is criticized for using ChatGPT to calculate hourly billing rates, resulting in a judge halving their six-figure bill.
• ChatGPT experiences a bug causing nonsensical answers for several hours, which OpenAI later resolves.
• Match Group announces an enterprise agreement with OpenAI in a press release co-written by ChatGPT.
• OpenAI introduces memory controls for ChatGPT, allowing users to manage what the AI remembers or forgets.
• OpenAI rolls out a Temporary Chat feature, allowing conversations without accessing previous chat memories.

January 2024:

• ChatGPT users can now directly invoke GPTs within chats, enhancing the conversational context.
• Reports suggest ChatGPT may be leaking private information from user conversations.
• Italian data protection authorities inform OpenAI that it is suspected of violating EU privacy laws.
• OpenAI partners with Common Sense Media to collaborate on AI guidelines and education materials.
• OpenAI responds to the Congressional Black Caucus's concerns about the lack of diversity on its board.
• OpenAI reduces prices for GPT-3.5's API and introduces a new preview model for GPT-4 Turbo.
• OpenAI bans an AI startup that developed a bot impersonating a presidential candidate, aligning with its policy against election misinformation.
• OpenAI announces a partnership with Arizona State University, providing access to ChatGPT's Enterprise tier for educational purposes.
• A literary prize winner reveals that 5% of her novel was written by ChatGPT.
• Sam Altman teases the upcoming release of GPT-5 with multimodal capabilities, expected in 2024.
• OpenAI forms a Collective Alignment team to integrate public input on model behaviors into its products and services.
• OpenAI unveils a plan to combat election misinformation, including restrictions on political campaigning apps and impersonating chatbots.
• OpenAI changes its policy to allow military applications, accommodating projects that do not violate its bans on harm.
• ChatGPT Team, a subscription plan for small teams, debuts, offering a dedicated workspace and admin tools.
• OpenAI's GPT Store officially launches, featuring a range of GPTs developed by partners and the dev community.
• OpenAI argues that training AI models without copyrighted materials would be "impossible" in response to a UK proposal.
• OpenAI claims that The New York Times' copyright lawsuit is without merit, asserting fair use and placing responsibility on users.
• OpenAI plans to launch its GPT Store the following week, requiring developers to adhere to updated usage policies.
• OpenAI moves to reduce regulatory risk in the EU by changing the entity providing services to EEA and Swiss residents.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What is ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is a versatile chatbot developed by OpenAI that employs artificial intelligence to generate text based on user prompts. It utilizes GPT-4, a large language model powered by deep learning, to produce human-like text responses.

When was ChatGPT released?

ChatGPT was made available for public use on November 30, 2022.

What is the latest version of ChatGPT?

Both the free and paid versions of ChatGPT are regularly updated with new GPT models, with the most recent being GPT-4o.

Can I use ChatGPT for free?

Yes, there is a free version of ChatGPT that requires only a sign-in, in addition to the paid ChatGPT Plus version.

Who uses ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is utilized by a wide range of users, including tech companies and search engines, to automate text generation or quickly address user inquiries.

What companies use ChatGPT?

Numerous enterprises leverage ChatGPT, although some may restrict its use. Recently, Microsoft integrated a ChatGPT-based Bing experience into Windows 11, and a Brooklyn-based 3D display startup uses ChatGPT to create interactive holograms. Additionally, the nonprofit organization Solana integrated the chatbot into its network with a plugin aimed at end users to facilitate web3 onboarding.

What does GPT mean in ChatGPT?

GPT stands for Generative Pre-Trained Transformer, which refers to the technology behind the AI model used in ChatGPT.

What is the difference between ChatGPT and a chatbot?

A chatbot can be any software or system that engages in dialogue with a person, not necessarily AI-powered. ChatGPT, on the other hand, is AI-powered and uses large language model (LLM) technology to generate text after receiving a prompt.

Can ChatGPT write essays?

Yes, ChatGPT is capable of writing essays.

Can ChatGPT commit libel?

Due to the nature of AI models, they do not discern the truth of statements, only their plausibility. This can lead to issues when using ChatGPT for assignments or when it falsely accuses individuals of crimes, potentially constituting libel.

Does ChatGPT have an app?

Yes, ChatGPT offers a free mobile app for both iOS and Android users.

What is the ChatGPT character limit?

There is no official documentation on a character limit for ChatGPT. However, users have observed some limitations after approximately 500 words.

Does ChatGPT have an API?

Yes, ChatGPT's API was released on March 1, 2023.

What are some sample everyday uses for ChatGPT?

Everyday uses of ChatGPT include programming assistance, script writing, email replies, listicle creation, blog idea generation, summarization, and more.

What are some advanced uses for ChatGPT?

Advanced uses of ChatGPT encompass debugging code, engaging with programming languages, exploring scientific concepts, solving complex problems, and more.

How good is ChatGPT at writing code?

The effectiveness of ChatGPT in writing code depends on the program's nature. While it can generate functional Python code, it may not be capable of writing an entire app's code due to a lack of context awareness, meaning the generated code may not always be suitable for the specific context in which it's used.

Can you save a ChatGPT chat?

Yes, users can save chats within the ChatGPT interface, which are stored in the sidebar of the screen. There are no built-in sharing features at this time.

Are there alternatives to ChatGPT?

Yes, there are several AI-powered chatbot competitors such as Together, Google's Gemini, and Anthropic's Claude, with developers also creating open-source alternatives.

How does ChatGPT handle data privacy?

OpenAI allows individuals in certain jurisdictions, like the EU, to object to the processing of their personal information by its AI models by filling out a form. This includes the ability to request deletion of AI-generated references about oneself. However, OpenAI notes that it may not grant every request, as it must balance privacy requests against freedom of expression in accordance with applicable laws. The web form for requesting data removal is titled "OpenAI Personal Data Removal Request."

What controversies have surrounded ChatGPT?

Recently, Discord integrated OpenAI's technology into its bot named Clyde, where two users tricked Clyde into providing instructions for making illegal drugs. An Australian mayor announced he may sue OpenAI for defamation due to ChatGPT's false claims about his prison sentence for bribery. This could be the first defamation lawsuit against the text-generating service. CNET found itself in controversy after reports that the publication was publishing AI-generated articles under a mysterious byline. The private equity company owning CNET was accused of using ChatGPT for SEO purposes, even if the information was incorrect. Several school systems and colleges, including New York City Public Schools, have banned ChatGPT, claiming it promotes plagiarism and misinformation. There have also been instances of ChatGPT falsely accusing individuals of crimes.

Where can I find examples of ChatGPT prompts?

Several marketplaces host and provide ChatGPT prompts, either for free or for a nominal fee. Examples include PromptBase and ChatX, with more launching daily.

Can ChatGPT be detected?

Poorly. Several tools claim to detect ChatGPT-generated text, but they are inconsistent at best.

Are ChatGPT chats public?

No. However, OpenAI recently disclosed a bug that exposed the titles of some users' conversations to others on the service.

What lawsuits are there surrounding ChatGPT?

There are no lawsuits specifically targeting ChatGPT. However, OpenAI is involved in at least one lawsuit with implications for AI systems trained on publicly available data, which would touch on ChatGPT.

Are there issues regarding plagiarism with ChatGPT?

Yes. AI models like ChatGPT tend to reproduce content from their training data, leading to plagiarism concerns.