Confer is one of the most interesting ChatGPT alternatives because it's attempting to deliver a fully privacy-focused AI chatbot experience. In that, instead of having every prompt, search, and input used to train AI and build a personal profile on you, Confer aims to protect your privacy instead.
Talking to ChatGPT feels more collaborative than typing. It shines for brainstorming, prep, and translation. Usage limits can interrupt productivity mid-session. Voice Mode runs on mobile devices, as well as in your browser. On mobile, there are two ChatGPT widgets available for the lock screen. One widget opens the app, and one launches ChatGPT Voice.
Did you know you can teach ChatGPT how to respond to certain requests? Not only can you give ChatGPT instructions, but they'll stick (mostly) for every session. This feature is called Custom Instructions. It lives in the Personalization tab of ChatGPT's settings. In a minute, I'll show you a set of really powerful directives that can help make you super productive.
The tipping point came after Anthropic, the company behind Claude, refused to allow the Department of Defense to use its AI models for mass domestic surveillance or fully autonomous weapons. In response, President Trump ordered all federal agencies to stop using Anthropic's products, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced plans to designate the company a supply-chain threat.
Subscriber momentum accelerated meaningfully to start the year, with January and February on track to be the largest months for new subscribers in our history. People use ChatGPT to learn, write, plan, and build. As usage scales, the product improves in ways people feel immediately: faster responses, higher reliability, stronger safety, and more consistent performance.
Along the way, I've done what I think a lot of AI power users eventually wind up doing: I've gone into the personalization and settings and told the chatbot to be neutral, direct, and just-the-facts. I don't want a chatbot that tells me "That is a brilliant idea!" every time I explore a tweak to my business strategy. They're not all brilliant, I assure you. And I don't want a lecture about how if I truly have shoulder issues I should see a "real" physical therapist. I'm an adult. I'm not outsourcing my judgment to a robot.
ChatGPT Pulse is a mobile AI feature for Pro users that delivers personalized updates and information directly in users' feeds. This new "push" approach gives brands an opportunity to reach audiences proactively, even before they search for content. To appear in ChatGPT Pulse, focus on building content that is authoritative, clear, and AI-ready. Establish verified brand profiles, maintain canonical pages, and publish regularly updated, time-stamped content.
OpenAI is updating ChatGPT's deep research tool with a full-screen viewer that you can use to scroll through and navigate to specific areas of its AI-generated reports. As shown in a video shared by OpenAI, the built-in viewer allows you to open ChatGPT's reports in a window separate from your chat, while showing a table of contents on the left side of the screen, and a list of sources on the right.