ChatGPT online feature disabled due to user abuse
OpenAi announced it disabled its Browse with Bing feature as of July 3, 2023. The company says it temporarily turned off the beta version “out of an abundance of caution while we fix this in order to do right by content owners.” The tech firm added, “We have learned that the ChatGPT Browse beta can occasionally display content in ways we don’t want.”
This issue shows the importance of beta testing for upcoming products and services. It lets users access them early and allows companies to fix issues quickly. Moreover, this news is a sneak peek into how people may abuse artificial intelligence systems.
It will help you understand how these AI programs may fail as they become more prevalent worldwide. This article will discuss why OpenAI canceled the ChatGPT online feature. Then, I will show how ChatGPT Plus subscribers and other folks reacted.
Why did OpenAI cease the ChatGPT online feature?
We've learned that ChatGPT's "Browse" beta can occasionally display content in ways we don't want, e.g. if a user specifically asks for a URL's full text, it may inadvertently fulfill this request. We are disabling Browse while we fix this—want to do right by content owners.
— OpenAI (@OpenAI) July 4, 2023
The AI company discontinued the beta feature because many people used it to bypass paywalls for online content. “For example, if a user specifically asks for a URL’s full text, it might inadvertently fulfill this request,” an OpenAI article said.
That is usually harmless for free content but detrimental to paid ones. Some folks used the ChatGPT online feature to access them without paying.
Eventually, many online groups like Reddit’s r/ChatGPT shared ways to abuse OpenAI’s new function. As a result, these platforms lose revenue from potential users.
The AI firm also has other copyright and privacy disputes, which may worsen if people abuse the beta feature further. For example, Search Engine Journal cited a recent legal allegation, “Tremblay v. OpenAI Inc.”
It claims ChatGPT summarizes authors’ works, suggesting the program absorbed their contents. Also, another lawsuit, “PM v. OpenAI LP,” accuses the tech firm of collecting data from millions of users without proper consent.
At the time of writing, the company has not specified when it will reactivate the ChatGPT online feature. It also thanked the ChatGPT Plus community with the following Twitter message:
“Very grateful to the ChatGPT Plus subscribers who have been helping us test the browsing feature. This is why we started with a beta—have received extremely valuable feedback, learned a lot, & will bring it back soon.”
How did people respond?
Photo Credit: allthings.how
The ChatGPT online feature, or “Browse with Bing,” lets the chatbot access online information using Microsoft’s search engine. However, it is only available in the ChatGPT Plus program.
It lets you ChatGPT’s latest features like GPT-4 for $8.00 monthly. Eventually, its members banded together on Twitter and the official OpenAI community forums.
These groups have opposing opinions about online access cancellation. The Twitter folks were more optimistic, while the community forums felt disappointed. For example, Twitter user Matt McDonagh said:
“Love the subtle reminder. B-e-t-a. Stop whining, folks. We will get it back, it will be better. This is part of the software [and] experience development process.”
You may also like: How to use the official ChatGPT app
The message reminds people the online feature is under public beta testing. It lets users try upcoming features to help software developers detect and fix bugs quickly.
People joining a beta test should expect numerous problems and glitches. On the other hand, some OpenAI forum members became upset over the feature’s cancellation. For example, here’s what user thiagojramos2 said:
“It seems like OpenAI is working against the paid users of ChatGPT Plus. This time they’re taking away Browsing, because it reads the content of a site that the user asks for? Please, that’s what I pay for Plus for.”
Conclusion
OpenAI halted its ChatGPT online feature because some people used it to access content from other websites without paying. The company said it is fixing the beta to return it quickly.
The chatbot’s new function lets it perform data scraping, which other platforms have been doing for several years. However, it enables more people to do it.
Nevertheless, artificial intelligence is here to stay, and we must adapt to its rapid changes. Start by learning the latest digital tips and trends at Inquirer Tech.
