Searching for ChatGPT app on your Android phone or iPhone? Here’s why you need to be careful – Times of India

There’s no doubt that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an exciting field undergoing continuous evolution. It promises to minimise human effort and intelligently handle even highly complex tasks on its own. So when OpenAI launched ChatGPT, an AI chatbot, the news spread like wildfire as tens of thousands of users flooded the company’s website to test its aptitude.
In no time, ChatGPT went viral as the online community praised the chatbot’s diverse knowledge and articulate answers – although it wasn’t always totally right. This positive chatter stimulated a lot of interest, among the laymen, for AI. But, at the same time, its blinding popularity prompted opportunists to release imposter apps on Play Store and App Store.

There’s an imposter among us
A quick research will show you there’s an abundance of apps using the ChatGPT name to dupe users on both Android and Apple devices. These apps have unethically incorporated the “ChatGPT” keyword in their names, despite having nothing to do with the original chatbot or its developer, OpenAI. Absurdly, some of these fakes even go as far as imitating the OpenAI logo.
All this could still have been ignored as harmless notoriety if certain imposter apps didn’t have in-app purchases. With over 50K downloads, “TalkGPT – Talk to ChatGPT” is a popular imposter on Android that charges users for the most optimal experience. Sporting 4.7 stars out of 5, “ChatGPT – AI Chat GPT 3 Bot” on iOS, is an increasingly popular copycat on iOS with in-app purchases.

Notably, the truth of the matter is that there is no official ChatGPT app available for either Android or iOS right now. You can only use it by creating a free account on chat.openai.com.
Buyers beware
According to a review on “ChatGPT Chat GPT AI With GPT-3” – an imposter app that has now been taken down – the app did not offer an easy way to cancel the trial subscription or claim a refund for the premium subscription. This poses a big risk for users who fall into the trap of downloading these fake ChatGPT bots.
As numerous students, AI enthusiasts, and other curious blokes look for ChatGPT on the web, more are likely to be deceived by these imposters. In the worst-case scenario, they may also squander money on them. Naturally, here the responsibility falls onto OpenAI and the respective app stores to take action on these imposters before they swindle more people.