After a mere three and a half years since its release in November 2022, ChatGPT is now the quickest app in history to achieve 1 billion monthly users.
The market research firm Sensor Tower estimates no other app has gotten to the milestone quicker.
Google Maps, the previous record holder, achieved the same milestone in about five years.
Users are based on who is active on the app each month, and exclude those who access ChatGPT via other platforms or the web.
OpenAI is currently the leading AI chatbot provider, but there are many other emerging options.
Based on data from Sensor Tower, ChatGPT had grown 62 per cent last year; Anthropic’s Claude had increased by 640 per cent and Meta AI had jumped by 973 per cent.
The increase has been attributed to the enhancements in AI models and the rising curiosity surrounding AI among the general public.
In the past few months, OpenAI, however, has been called into question. The company faced criticism for its signing of a deal with the Pentagon as part of a larger US Department of Defence technology initiative.
Since then, the uninstallations of ChatGPT have reportedly surged, resulting in a response from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman that would leave no room for users to fear that it would be used for surveillance.
Meanwhile, discussion around the impact of AI continues to grow. A significant portion of Americans are not enthusiastic about the development of new AI data centres, according to surveys, primarily due to the impact on the environment and infrastructure.
OpenAI has also revealed that Chinese-backed bots have been trying to use ChatGPT to promote anti-data-centre narratives in the US but the effort, which was said to have limited reach, was unsuccessful.
The milestone highlights the growing popularity of AI tools worldwide. Despite its privacy, security, and infrastructure concerns, the technology’s swift adoption signals that many users are still finding great utility in ChatGPT.
Also read: OpenAI decides to turn ChatGPT into a ‘Super App’
