OpenAI has made it possible to talk to its artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT without registering for an account.

This is a move to increase the bot's use, but it only gives access to the two-year-old GPT-3.5 model, not the more advanced GPT-4.

AI labs are seeing increased competition in the chatbot space, with Microsoft offering GPT-4 for free and not requiring users to sign in to their accounts.

There is also an open source model available through Groq, an ultra-fast inference engine, and Inflection's Pi does not require a login; Google may consider offering something similar in a future version of Gemini.

OpenAI says the move is part of its mission to "make tools like ChatGPT widely available so people can experience the benefits of AI."

OpenAI states that it has introduced more safeguards, including blocking prompts and generations from broader categories, so the experience will not be quite the same if you do not sign in.

As with the free version, users will not have access to the multimodal features available in ChatGPT Plus, such as sending images and documents to the AI. However, the core "conversations" will work even if the user refuses to respond to more topics than usual.

And while you cannot save chats or view chat history without an account, ChatGPT is a great way to try it out if you don't want to commit to another account.

One of my favorite ways to start any AI conversation is with a deep, deep question; even though ChatGPT uses a lot of human knowledge and information, it won't have much insight, but it is fun to see how it responds.

In my case, ChatGPT told me that it is a subjective question, and that different people will give different answers. For example, a philosophical perspective might focus on finding happiness, while a religious perspective would be directed toward faith, and so on.

This prompt is a good starting point for a follow-up. You can refer to the "Hitchhiking Guide to the Galaxy" and say, "I thought I was 42," or you can share your own perspective and use them as a sounding board.

The next useful prompt concerns trip planning. You can't go to the Quenturas Quasgar Mountains like Arthur Dent, but you can plan a weekend getaway in New York City.

The prompt is simple, but precise: "I want to go to New York for a weekend getaway, can you give me some ideas of things to do and places to eat there?

It listed a series of top attractions, places to eat like Levain Bakery and Chelsea Market, and warned to book in advance as it could get very crowded.

This is also ripe for follow-up, as you can ask what the weather is likely to be like on any given weekend, how crowded it usually is at a particular time, or have ChatGPT create an itinerary for you.

ChatGPT is not the greatest poet in the world, especially the version with GPT-3.5 available without signing in, but you can write something simple for a group of friends.

The next prompt asked: "Please write a poem about New York City that you would write for an invitation to your friends to go to New York with you for the weekend. It should be relatively short, but interesting.

It was given to me: From the green of Central Park to the glow of Times Square, New York City, there is always a show. Tuck into a bagel or a hot dog, Explore each corner, each floor.

So pack your bags, Celebrate in the Big Apple. With friends and laughter, A weekend in New York is a rare adventure.

Ask ChatGPT to shorten it, turn it into a haiku, or add a specific name, word, or phrase to the poem and they will arrange it for you.

Haiku like this:

Bright light never sleeps, Skyscrapers kiss the blue sky. New York, let's jump.

ChatGPT is especially good at planning. They don't always come up with the most creative ideas, but they do come up with lists. In this prompt, I asked: "Create a list of 10 unique and creative date ideas for couples on a budget, suitable for different seasons and locations. [It could be a picnic under the stars, a DIY wine tasting, a hike, cooking together at home, or an outdoor movie in the backyard. Also suggested are volunteering together, spending an afternoon at a bookstore, or hosting a DIY outdoor games tournament.

You can follow up by asking them to expand on any of the 10 ideas they shared, ask them to try again, or give more specific information, such as health issues that might prevent one or more ideas.

On Reddit Explain it Like I'm Five is a phrase often used by people trying to understand complex ideas and concepts. For example, how large-scale language models actually work. In the case of this prompt, it's relativity.

I asked ChatGPT: "Imagine you are having a conversation with Albert Einstein, explaining the basic concepts of relativity using everyday examples that a 10-year-old could understand." Relativity can be turned into any topic, Einstein into any expert.

This created a dialogue between the child and Einstein; AI Einstein used a ball thrown on a train with an outside observer as a way to express different points of view ChatGPT allows you to share conversations within the app, which is good for sharing.