OpenAI launches ChatGPT Plus, a paid version of the popular AI chat

ChatGPT just launched ChatGPT Plus, a paid version of the online AI chatbot created by OpenAI.

The pilot subscription plan gives users access to ChatGPT during peak times and faster response times (which is helpful because it breaks down a lot) and priority access to new features and improvements. It will cost you $20 per month.

"The research preview for ChatGPT allowed us to learn from real world use, and we’ve made important improvements and updates based on feedback," an OpenAI spokesperson said in an email to Mashable. They added that the plan is currently only available in the U.S., but additional countries will be added soon.

You can start using it by signing up for the ChatGPT Plus waitlist, which is not the same thing as the waitlist OpenAI sent out for ChatGPT Professional in early January. The company said it would begin inviting people from the waitlist in the coming weeks. There's also a separate waitlist for another offering OpenAI plans to launch specifically for developers called ChatGPT API, OpenAI said in a blog post. The company added that it is "actively exploring options for lower-cost plans, business plans, and data packs for more availability."

The version of ChatGPT most widely used was launched in December 2022 and has already made some pretty sophisticated changes to how many of us live and work. It helps people date, write essays, and even create malware (not great). It is also ethically dubious, and its growth — unhampered by any regulations — has some people concerned. Those people might not be on Twitter, though, because that site seems excited as hell to give ChatGPT Plus a try.