In recent weeks, app stores have been inundated with hundreds of fake ChatGPT apps that have sought to take advantage of their viral AI chatbot’s success. A privacy researcher noticed an incredible number of shady ChatGPT applications on the MacOS App Store, while Google Play Store was also flooded with bogus clones with millions of downloads.
The fraudulent clones don’t just deceive users, they also scar the reputation of legitimate developers and detract from the growth of the app ecosystem. As a result, OpenAI has attempted to fast-track their application for the GPT acronym (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) trademark, that was initially submitted in December.
Unfortunately, the US Patent and Trademark Office declined OpenAI’s request, meaning the company will have to keep waiting for the trademark application to be approved. Separate from the fraudulent applications on app stores, there are also genuine clones of the GPT program that have been developed and announced.
Elon Musk, a co-founder of OpenAI who has since moved on, proposed a ChatGPT alternative named “TruthGPT” that is designed to search for “maximum truth” and provide humanity with “the best path to safety.”
He was among thousands of other signatories to an open letter written by the Future of Life Institute to pause the creation and deployment of all AI systems stronger than OpenAI’s GPT-4, and focus the research on creating safety protocols. The message conveyed that AI research and development should target the improvement of today’s powerful systems in accuracy, interpretability, transparency, and trustworthiness.
