ChatGPT Turns 3

Three years ago today, a "low-key research preview" quietly launched. Now 800 million people use it every week. ChatGPT's birthday isn't just OpenAI's celebration. It marks the moment AI stopped being a tech industry curiosity and became everyone's problem to figure out.

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📰 The Rundown

🎂 ChatGPT Turns Three with 800M Weekly Users

➡️ The move: ChatGPT celebrates its third anniversary today with 800 million weekly active users, up from 400 million in February. The chatbot that took 5 days to reach 1 million users now processes 2.5 billion prompts daily. Nearly 60% of adults under 30 have used it. The platform generates $10 billion in annual recurring revenue.

⚡ Why it matters: The speed of adoption has fundamentally changed workplace expectations. What started as a novelty for drafting emails now powers enterprise workflows at 92% of Fortune 500 companies. The question has shifted from "Will you use AI?" to "How well can you leverage it?"

🎯 Your takeaway: ChatGPT's anniversary is your reminder: three years of capability growth means the gap between AI adopters and AI avoiders just got a lot wider.

💼 Microsoft Drops Copilot Price 30% for Small Business

➡️ The move: Starting December 1, Microsoft 365 Copilot Business brings enterprise-grade AI to organizations with under 300 employees for $21 per user per month. That's down from the current $30 price point. The subscription includes Copilot in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams, plus access to custom agents. Launch promotions offer 15-35% additional discounts through March 2026.

⚡ Why it matters: Microsoft finally heard the chorus of small business owners who wanted AI assistance but couldn't justify $30 per seat. The price drop signals a strategic pivot: Copilot adoption has been slower than expected, and Microsoft needs volume. SMBs have been stuck watching larger competitors automate while their budgets said "not yet."

🎯 Your takeaway: If you've been waiting for the right moment to bring AI into your team's workflow, December 1 removes the last excuse.

⚖️ Bipartisan Bill Targets AI Fraud with 30-Year Sentences

➡️ The move: Representatives Ted Lieu (D-CA) and Neal Dunn (R-FL) introduced the AI Fraud Deterrence Act, a bipartisan bill that doubles penalties for fraud committed with AI. Bank fraud using AI tools could carry up to 30 years in prison and $2 million in fines. The legislation also criminalizes using AI to impersonate federal officials, with penalties of three years and $1 million.

⚡ Why it matters: This bill emerged after AI voice clones successfully impersonated White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in separate incidents. Chainalysis research shows 60% of deposits into scam wallets now come from AI-powered schemes. The Wild West phase of generative AI fraud may be ending.

🎯 Your takeaway: The law is catching up to the technology. If your organization handles sensitive communications, verification protocols just became non-negotiable.

🔧 Tool Spotlight: Perplexity Comet Browser

Perplexity's Comet browser is now free and available on Android. This AI-native browser puts an always-on assistant in your browser bar that can summarize pages, compare information across tabs, shop on your behalf, and research topics without switching apps.

What makes it different: Unlike browser extensions that bolt AI onto existing interfaces, Comet was built from scratch around conversational interaction. Ask questions about what you're reading. Tell it to find the cheapest flight option across three open tabs. Voice mode lets you query across all open tabs at once.

Best for: Research-heavy work, comparison shopping, and anyone who regularly needs to synthesize information from multiple sources.

Pricing: Free for basic features. Comet Plus ($5/month) adds publisher content feeds. Pro ($20/month) and Max ($200/month) subscribers get access to background agents that can run multiple tasks simultaneously.

👉 Try it: Download from perplexity.ai/comet or the Google Play Store.

✨ Try This Today: Voice Chat Your AI Assistant

Most people type prompts into AI tools. But voice interaction is faster for quick questions, especially when your hands are occupied.

The technique: Both ChatGPT and Perplexity Comet now support voice mode on desktop and mobile. Instead of stopping to type, ask your question out loud.

How to use it:

1. Open ChatGPT mobile app or Comet browser
2. Tap the microphone/voice icon
3. Ask your question naturally: "Summarize the last three emails from my manager" or "What are the key points from this article?"
4. Review the response and follow up conversationally

Why it works: Voice removes the friction of context-switching. You can get a quick answer while reviewing documents, walking between meetings, or commuting. It turns AI from a destination you visit into an ambient assistant.

Time required: 30 seconds to enable. Saves 2-3 minutes per query versus typing.

✨ The Wire

🔗 Google Gemini 3 continues dominating benchmarks, with CEO Sundar Pichai noting the company must double AI capacity every 6 months to keep up with demand. CNN

🔗 Otter.ai unveiled enterprise features including a public API and MCP server, transforming meeting transcripts into structured knowledge bases. No Jitter

🔗 Princeton researchers found brains excel at learning by reusing modular "cognitive blocks" across tasks, offering potential breakthroughs for more efficient AI training. ScienceDaily

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