ChatGPT Plus for everyone: Alleged gift apparently a hoax
The United Arab Emirates is supposedly giving all residents premium access to ChatGPT, according to media reports. But this is obviously a hoax.
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It appears to be a hoax: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) allegedly wants to provide all residents of the country with free access to the premium version of ChatGPT. The initiative is part of the Emirates' AI strategy and is linked to the Stargate UAE project, according to media reports. OpenAI and the Emirates recently announced a partnership. However, there is no official confirmation that there will be premium access for everyone as a result.
The daily newspaper Gulf News, which is published in Dubai, assumes that there was a misunderstanding in the announcements made on the occasion of the recently announced cooperation between OpenAI and the Emirates. OpenAI stated that there would be nationwide access to ChatGPT –, but not that every resident would receive a personal premium account. The publication assumes that ChatGPT will flow into public platforms, government apps and the work of schools and health organizations as a result of the cooperation. However, it does not expect a Plus account for all citizens.
Computing cluster planned in Abu Dhabi
ChatGPT Plus normally costs 20 US dollars per month and offers access to OpenAI's latest models, faster response times and preferential availability during high server utilization.
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The reports of an alleged free ChatGPT Plus deployment are linked to the Stargate UAE project in Abu Dhabi. An AI data center with a 1-gigawatt computing cluster is currently being built there. The first phase with 200 megawatts is due to go into operation next year. The Emirates want to establish themselves as a global AI center and drive forward the digital transformation in the region. To this end, they have already made several multi-billion AI investments in recent years.
According to the dubious media reports, the Plus account for everyone could come with the completion of the project. Skepticism is also warranted because it remains unclear how exactly the distribution of accounts will work. It cannot be ruled out that the Emirates may be toying with the idea of linking the date to a grand symbolic gesture. However, nothing has been officially confirmed so far.
(mki)
