Although ChatGPT has already gained popularity worldwide, it has yet to be available in Hong Kong and some other countries/regions. In April 2023, Italy has once become the first Western country to ban ChatGPT (and the ban was lifted one month later) .
Users within the restricted region will need to use a VPN to to circumvent restrictions and gain access to ChatGPT. But don’t worry. There are super simple ways to experience the power of ChatGPT in Hong Kong, or other unavailable regions.
The first solution is to use a VPN, which will allow you to connect to a supported country or region. Here’s how to do it:
Register for an account with any VPN service available in the market and choose a country or region that ChatGPT supports. It’s recommended that you connect to the United States server, as OpenAI is an American company, and new features of ChatGPT, like the recently launched ChatGPT Plus, are likely to be rolled out there first.
ExpressVPN and NordVPN are popular virtual private network (VPN) providers that offer users secure and private internet access. They can be used to access ChatGPT from regions where it is unavailable including Hong Kong and other restricted areas.
If you do not want to pay for a VPN service, ProtonVPN is one of the best free VPNs available on the market. It offers strong security features, allows you to access servers in the US, the Netherlands, and Japan, and offers unlimited data usage, which is rare for a free VPN. ProtonVPN has a user-friendly interface and is easy to set up and use.
Once you have connected your device to a supported country or region through VPN, you can register for a ChatGPT account on the OpenAI website. Simply enter your name and email address, and agree to the user terms.
To complete the registration, you must pass the ChatGPT Mobile SMS Authentication. You can ask friends overseas for their phone numbers or use an SMS collection service. A quick Google search will reveal several options for receiving SMS online. Once you’ve received the verification code, enter it on the OpenAI website, and you’re all set to start using ChatGPT.
SMS Activate provides both paid and free options for users to obtain an overseas mobile phone number for receiving SMS. You can choose from a variety of countries, ensuring you find the right option for completing SMS verification requirements for OpenAI.
Are you frustrated by payment declined issues while trying to subscribe to ChatGPT Plus? There is a simple solution to bypass these hurdles and enjoy the benefits of ChatGPT Plus. The steps include:
Connecting to a VPN location where the service is available
Preparing a billing address from the same region
Obtaining an overseas credit or debit card
Using your browser’s incognito mode.
If using a VPN sounds like too much trouble, there’s another option to experience a ChatGPT alternative in Hong Kong: Poe, a chatbot launched by Quora in December 2022. Poe currently only has an iOS version, but it’s free to download and doesn’t require a VPN for Hong Kong users.
Quora CEO Adam D’Angelo said that Poe would support all major platforms in the next few months, and Android users will be able to use it soon.
Poe stared with providing users three ChatBots to choose from: Sage, Claude, and Dragonfly. And now, Poe had added ChatGPT to their platform, providing Hong Kong users with an even more engaging and interactive chatbot experience. This addition brings new opportunities for users to have conversations with ChatGPT. What’s more, Poe is easily accessible through the newly launched desktop version of the chatbot at poe.com.
What are the three chatbots other than ChatGPT look like? Sage and Dragonfly use OpenAI technology and are similar to ChatGPT in their capabilities. Like ChatGPT, both databases are only updated until 2021.
Among the three, Sage’s style is the most similar to ChatGPT, and he can do everything, such as answering questions, writing, programming, and data processing. Dragonfly is better suited for quick questions and answers. Claude is a newer chatbot created by a former OpenAI employee, and it is good at writing long-form articles.
So there you have it – two easy ways to use ChatGPT or its alternative in Hong Kong. Whether you choose to use a VPN or opt for Poe, you’ll be able to experience the power of artificial intelligence and the convenience of having a chat robot at your fingertips.
ChatGPT is a large language model developed by OpenAI. It uses machine learning algorithms to understand and generate human-like responses to questions and prompts. ChatGPT is built on top of a neural network architecture trained on vast amounts of text data. It uses this training to generate responses to user inputs based on the patterns it has learned from the data.
Yes, ChatGPT is free to use for anyone with an internet connection. There is no need to download or install software, as the model is hosted online on OpenAI’s website.
ChatGPT can be used for various purposes, including answering questions, generating text based on prompts, and even engaging in conversation. Additionally, it can be used to create content, such as articles or product descriptions, and for work, such as automating customer support or assisting with research and data analysis.
A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, is a technology that creates a secure, encrypted connection over a public network, such as the internet. VPNs allow users to access the internet as if on a private network, which can help protect their online privacy and security. By routing their internet traffic through a VPN server, users can hide their IP address and location and encrypt their data to prevent interception by third parties. VPNs are commonly used to access geo-restricted content and protect sensitive data.
