OpenAI’s ChatGPT Plus, a premium version of the popular AI-powered chatbot, has experienced a surge in demand, prompting the company to temporarily pause new sign-ups. The decision was announced by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on X, citing the need to ensure a high-quality user experience for all ChatGPT users.
Key Highlights
- OpenAI has temporarily halted new sign-ups for ChatGPT Plus due to a significant increase in usage.
- The company cites a surge in demand following its DevDay event, where it introduced new features for ChatGPT Plus.
- OpenAI plans to resume sign-ups once it has scaled its infrastructure to meet the demand.
- Existing ChatGPT Plus users will continue to have access to the service.
“We’ve seen a surge in usage post devday that has exceeded our capacity and we want to make sure everyone has a great experience,” Altman wrote in the post. “We’re working hard to scale up, but we’re pausing new ChatGPT Plus signups for now.”
Altman added that existing ChatGPT Plus users will continue to have access to the service without any interruption. He also encouraged interested users to sign up for a waitlist to receive notifications when new sign-ups are available.
The pause in new sign-ups for ChatGPT Plus is likely to have a significant impact on the company. ChatGPT Plus is a major source of revenue for OpenAI, and the pause could lead to a decline in earnings. The pause could also damage OpenAI’s reputation, as some users may be frustrated by the inability to sign up for the service.
The pause in new sign-ups comes just days after OpenAI unveiled a suite of new features for ChatGPT Plus at its first-ever developer conference, DevDay. These features include the ability to build custom chatbots, access new application programming interfaces (APIs), and experiment with different GPT models.
The surge in demand for ChatGPT Plus is likely due to the combination of these new features and the growing popularity of AI-powered chatbots in general. ChatGPT Plus has been praised for its ability to generate realistic and engaging conversations, and it has been used for a variety of purposes, including customer service, education, and entertainment.
OpenAI has not yet announced a specific timeline for when new ChatGPT Plus sign-ups will resume. However, the company has said that it is “working hard” to scale up its infrastructure to meet the demand.
In the meantime, interested users can sign up for the ChatGPT Plus waitlist to receive updates on when new sign-ups are available. They can also continue to use the free version of ChatGPT, which still offers a wide range of features.
