The tech world has been buzzing with the news of OpenAI’s revolutionary chatbot ChatGPT. But some unscrupulous developers are trying to cash in on the trend by releasing fake apps on the App Store and Google Play Store. ChatGPT is free to use on the web, and OpenAI hasn’t released any official mobile app.
One such app, “ChatGPT Chat GPT AI with GPT-3”, has managed to reach the top charts in the productivity category in multiple countries. The app is free but offers weekly ($7.99) and monthly ($49.99) packs to have unlimited chats with the AI bot. Some of the reviews suggest that the app is fake and does not deliver any tangible results. The developer had a similar app on the Play Store with over 100,000 downloads (archived link) which has now been removed.
CEO of edtech startup Bloomtech Austen Allred tweeted that the App Store is full of apps with no association with OpenAI that are trying to charge money for using ChatGPT. Google Play Store is also filled with sketchy ChatGPT apps with thousands of downloads that don’t offer any usable functionality.
Unfortunately, it is not clear if Apple and Google are actively taking any action on these apps. It is important to be wary of apps that are trying to make money in the name of pro versions or extra credits to get more answers from AI. Be sure to read the reviews and do your research before downloading any apps related to ChatGPT.