The accessibility of OpenAI's popular AI chatbot, ChatGPT, has now increased for Mac users. On Tuesday, June 25, 2024, the company revealed the availability of the ChatGPT app for all macOS users. This announcement was made before Apple's WWDC 2024 in June, where both companies introduced integrations between ChatGPT and Apple's operating systems for iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
OpenAI revealed on the social media platform, X, formerly known as Twitter, how Mac users can now gain easy access to ChatGPT by pressing the combination of Option + Space after installing the new ChatGPT app. When discussing emails, screenshots, or anything on your screen, the app offers quicker access to ChatGPT through the shortcut.
This feature will be familiar to macOS users who are used to shortcuts such as Command + Space for Spotlight Search. Through ChatGPT, which shows up as a chat interface overlay on the screen, users will have instant access to a massive knowledge base in place of the traditional search bar.
The release of GPT-4o, OpenAI's advanced generative AI model with text, audio, and video processing capabilities, somewhat overshadowed the initial announcement of the ChatGPT macOS program. GPT-4o's "o" stands for "omni," indicating its multimodal functionality.
The same press statement featured OpenAI's ChatGPT desktop application, which is accessible to both free and paid users. Users can upload files and images, discuss screenshots within the app, and launch the app with a straightforward keyboard shortcut. Additionally, users can communicate with ChatGPT from their desktops and browse previous conversations.
The app was initially available only to Plus subscribers, but it has now been made available to everyone, according to a recent post on X.
This release is part of a broader integration with Apple devices. At WWDC, OpenAI and Apple revealed a deal enabling iPhone and iPad users to access ChatGPT via Siri and other AI-enhanced features like Writing Tools. These integrations, powered by GPT-4o, will launch later this year with Apple's newest operating systems.