Last December, OpenAI announced that ChatGPT was available on WhatsApp, which allowed users to chat with the AI language model without needing a browser or a mobile app. However, this upgrade had limitations—WhatsApp ChatGPT users couldn’t send images or voice notes to communicate with ChatGPT, for example. Yesterday, OpenAI shared on X that a new ChatGPT WhatsApp update has been released, however, making it possible for users to send pictures and voice notes to chat with ChatGPT. The ability to link ChatGPT accounts to WhatsApp will also be added soon.
With this improvement, users can now communicate verbally with chatGPT to handle verious tasks, including a voice-to-text service. While this addition may become an invaluable tool for transcriptionists, its accuracy has not yet been verified. Besides that, users can now upload and share images in ChatGPT and request that the chatbot analyze them.
It’s worth mentioning that ChatGPT isn’t the only AI tool available on WhatsApp; Meta AI has been integrated into the platform since September 2024 too. While both AI assistants are gaining prominence on WhatsApp, they are not identical. Meta AI can generate images and visual illustrations, a feature that ChatGPT still lacks. However, the recent update to ChatGPT has enabled it to accept audio input, a functionality not yet available with Meta AI’s chatbot.
Another key difference is that you won’t find the ChatGPT WhatsApp AI assistant by searching for it like you would with Meta AI. To use the ChatGPT AI assistant on WhatsApp, save the contact “1-800-CHATGPT” or “1-800-2428478” to your contact list. Once saved, you can search for the contact name and chat with the assistant. However, to use this feature, ensure your WhatsApp is updated to the latest version.
If you already have a Free, Pro or Plus ChatGPT account and prefer not to switch between WhatsApp and the ChatGPT app or web, you’ll have to wait. According to OpenAI, an upcoming update will allow users to link their ChatGPT accounts (whether on the mobile app or the web) to WhatsApp.
As for whether AI language models will fully replace search engines in the future for some tasks, it’s still unclear. However, with recent developments, OpenAI seems to focus on making ChatGPT more versatile and accessible to AI early adopters.