Believe it or not, OpenAI has no official mobile apps for ChatGPT, and the only way to access the chatbot is through its official portal. However, alternatives are slowly emerging that seek to claim a piece of that market, and one of the most interesting is LuzIA. This Spanish development has the particularity of working as a WhatsApp contact, meaning we can talk to LuzIA directly in the messenger, without additional software, plugins, or accounts.
AI-based developments are rapidly approaching saturation levels, but we must also recognize that some spaces are not receiving algorithmic projects at the same speed.
For example, many users are surprised by the absence of an official app for ChatGPT on iOS and Android. While nothing stops us from visiting the ChatGPT page using a mobile browser, it's clear that the public wants something more.
And so we come to LuzIA. This Spanish development by Javier Andrés and Álvaro Martínez Higes takes on the giant challenge of placing an artificial intelligence in our WhatsApp accounts. The best part? No need to download software: LuzIA is just another contact in the messenger, and we can chat with it at any time.
LuzIA, one of the best chatbots for WhatsApp
The first step was asking LuzIA to introduce itself, and it told us this:
"LuzIA is an artificial intelligence designed to provide assistance and support to WhatsApp users. With machine learning skills, LuzIA offers precise and concise answers to users' questions, continuously improving its ability to provide a friendly and accessible service. Developed by SoyLuzia in Spain, LuzIA is a free tool available to help users with everything they need."
Its developers have reported that LuzIA uses the OpenAI API to answer general user queries, and Whisper for audio transcription (more on that below). An interesting detail is that LuzIA never admitted to using OpenAI during our tests, and it identified itself as a model "with its own technology".
Logically, LuzIA is very good at providing general information. For example, my personal benchmark about Caesar salad was not only satisfactory, but it also offered me help with the recipe. However, the delusions and contradictions did not take long to arrive.
First it said it was connected to the Internet, although later it added that it cannot browse or perform searches autonomously. Then it denied the existence of a cutoff or deadline, but in practice it was unable to provide updated results on Spanish football.
Its responses suggest a potential "cut" between March and April 2022: While it correctly identified the president of Chile (Gabriel Boric took office on March 11), it made a mistake with the prime minister of Montenegro (Dritan Abazović took office on April 28, but it said Zdravko Krivokapić was still in office). Information on the Web indicates a certain "selective injection" of information by OpenAI in its model, and perhaps LuzIA simply obeys that.
When it came to transcribing WhatsApp audios, LuzIA had no surprises. In fact, I would dare say it did a better job compared to TranscribeMe, and its speed was very good.
Furthermore, LuzIA's page does not report limits on the number of messages or the duration of audios. I have insisted a lot on this point, and LuzIA itself says it is not a trial. In short, LuzIA works better than we expected, and for now it is free. The privacy terms report some data collection, but they are on par with other chatbots. Give it a try!
Official site: Click here
