ChatGPT fastest-growing app in history - UBS

STORY: AI chatbot ChatGPT is now the fastest growing consumer app in history.

That’s according to analysis by Swiss bank UBS.

It’s estimated to have hit 100 million active users in January, just two months after launch.

TikTok took nine months to hit that number; Instagram, two and a half years.

ChatGPT was created by OpenAI - a private company backed Microsoft.

It can write articles, essays, jokes and even poetry in response to user requests.

Some have expressed concern that it could aid wrongdoing, such as writing work for students.

The product has been freely available to the public since late November.

But on Thursday (February 2) OpenAI announced a $20-per month subscription option.

It says that will offer a faster and more stable service.

The previous day saw Microsoft launch a version of its Teams messaging service with ChatGPT integration.

Now other firms, including China’s Baidu, are racing to develop their own chatbots.

But analysts says ChatGPT has a major head start, and will benefit as the soaring users numbers help to train the AI system.