SAN FRANCISCO, July 21 — By February 2026, OpenAI’s ChatGPT was drawing 900 million weekly active users, according to company figures. That milestone, coming just over three years after the chatbot’s public release, marks one of the fastest adoptions of any consumer software product in history. ChatGPT launched on November 30, 2022, as a generative artificial intelligence chatbot built on large language models—specifically, generative pre-trained transformers (GPTs).
Within two months it had crossed 100 million monthly active users, an adoption rate that helped accelerate what analysts now call the AI boom, a period of surging investment and public attention toward the field.
How it works and what it does
The service operates on a freemium model, accepting text, audio, and image prompts. It can write and debug computer programs, compose music, scripts, fairy tales, and essays, answer questions at a high level, and generate business concepts. Users rely on it for translation, summarization, and simulating interactive environments.
An optional Memory feature allows ChatGPT to retain specific information across sessions. To reduce harmful outputs, OpenAI deployed GPT-based moderation classifiers.
In March 2023, the company added support for plugins — including web browsing and code interpretation — expanding the chatbot’s capabilities beyond its original chat interface.
Debates and criticism
Proponents argue ChatGPT has the potential to transform numerous professional fields. But the record also shows persistent criticism. The chatbot can generate plausible-sounding but incorrect or nonsensical answers, a phenomenon known as hallucination.
Biases embedded in its training data have surfaced in its responses. Critics have pointed to its potential to facilitate academic dishonesty, generate misinformation, and create malicious code.
The ethics of its development, particularly the use of copyrighted content as training data, have drawn controversy. Those debates — about the nature of creativity and the future of knowledge work — continue to shape public discourse around generative AI.
Recent product expansions
From October to December 2024, OpenAI rolled out ChatGPT Search, enabling the chatbot to perform web searches for more accurate, up-to-date responses. In December 2024, the company launched a telephone feature, giving users up to 15 minutes per month of voice interaction with ChatGPT for free. In September 2025, OpenAI introduced Pulse, a feature that generates a daily analysis of user chats and connected applications.
A month later, in October 2025, the company launched ChatGPT Atlas, a browser that integrates the assistant into web navigation and includes an agentic mode for taking actions online — moving beyond passive conversation into active task execution.
Pricing and future direction
ChatGPT is offered at two paid tiers: ChatGPT Plus at $20 per month, introduced in February 2023, and a Pro tier at $200 per month, launched in December 2024. These subscriptions provide priority access and additional features, sustaining OpenAI’s freemium business model. As of July 2026, the trajectory points toward deeper integration with everyday online activity — through browsing, telephony, and the Atlas browser — while the company continues to navigate the regulatory and ethical debates that have accompanied its rapid growth.
Sources
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