OpenAI’s ChatGPT launched on the Apple App Store this month, and a number of similar apps are showing up on search results for ChatGPT.
A screenshot from the App Store.
Several apps that seem to rip off OpenAI’s ChatGPT are populating Apple’s App Store.
OpenAI launched the ChatGPT app for iPhones earlier this month.
Other similar apps may charge more than the $20 monthly fee for ChatGPT Plus, per Bloomberg.
ChatGPT is now available on Apple’s App Store — and so are a lot of similar looking AI chatbots.
A slew of apps like “Chat with Ask AI” and “AI Chat — Chatbot AI Assistant” have cropped up on the App Store recently.
Their descriptions mirror some of the common use cases for ChatGPT — promoting how they can be used to help generate recipes based on available ingredients, or to create summaries, notes, and outlines — and some of them have icons that resemble OpenAI’s flower-like circular logo.
They’re not just dupes: Some are powered by ChatGPT or GPT-4, according to their descriptions on the App Store. OpenAI has made the API for its models accessible, which lets others use those models to develop tools. It’s a fairly common practice for developers to use available APIs to come up with their own products — and monetize them.
For its part, Apple has indicated recently that it has an extensive app review team that scrutinizes apps on the platform to remove imposter and fraudulent apps.
While the ChatGPT app is free and ChatGPT Plus costs $20 a month, some of the other apps are asking for more, depending on the subscription plan. “Unlimited access” on an app called “Ask AI,” which touts “answers from GPT 3.5,” costs $7.99 a week or a one-time payment of $69.99. Other apps were also offering subscriptions at similar rates, Bloomberg reported.
Representatives for OpenAI did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Monday morning. A representative for Apple declined to comment. Emails sent to the developer contacts for the apps “Ask AI” and “AI Chat — Chatbot AI Assistant” did not receive responses.
Because a number of AI chatbots available can be developed with the help of OpenAI’s accessible API, these other tools can offer legitimate services, Bloomberg noted. One app called “Chat AI” responded to Bloomberg’s prompt, saying “I can assure you that I am not a ripoff of ChatGPT,” according to the report.
“Chat AI has a million active monthly users and distinguishes itself through selectable AI roles, camera integration and tools for professionals,” a spokesperson for the app’s developer told Bloomberg.
The official ChatGPT app is currently available on the Apple store in the US, and the company has said it will soon be rolling it out to users around the world.