Pi, the ChatGPT Competitor, Now Available on Android

Inflection AI, the Palo Alto-based startup co-founded by DeepMind's Mustafa Suleyman and LinkedIn's Reid Hoffman, has launched its AI chatbot, ‘Pi’, as a dedicated app on Android. This rollout aims to provide billions of users access to Pi, joining the competitive landscape that includes OpenAI’s ChatGPT, xAI's Grok, and Anthropic’s Claude.

Enhancements to the app’s branding include updated colors, illustrations, and a refreshed Pi logo. According to a company blog post, “Users have always loved the sleek, clean aesthetic, and the new brand on iOS and Android continues that identity while adding a little extra flair.”

Features of the Pi Android App

Initially available in 35 countries, including the U.S., the Pi Android app offers an experience similar to its iOS counterpart. Users can ask questions across a broad range of topics and receive instant responses, suggestions, or tips.

In an exciting feature akin to ChatGPT, the Pi chatbot supports voice interactions. Users can speak directly to Pi, prompting back-and-forth conversations. The app currently provides six voice options, creating a more conversational and engaging experience.

Launched in May 2023, Pi runs on the Inflection-1 language model, with an upgrade to Inflection-2 planned. This forthcoming model promises enhanced factual knowledge, improved stylistic control, and superior reasoning capabilities.

Inflection's goal with Pi, short for personal intelligence, is to offer users an "empathetic, useful, and safe" companion that communicates more personally and colloquially than ChatGPT, Microsoft’s Bing, or Google’s Bard. The blog emphasizes, “With the capacity to provide 24/7 emotional support and guidance, Pi is here for you at midnight when the world is asleep, to practice a new language, or to share insights about a potential career change.”

Growing Competition

By launching on Android, which boasts over 3 billion global users, Inflection AI aims to broaden its reach and tap into a larger user base. However, it faces significant competition from ChatGPT, which already serves nearly 200 million users across Android and iOS. In October 2023 alone, ChatGPT reported nearly 1.7 billion visits on mobile and web platforms.

Beyond ChatGPT, Pi competes with Google’s Bard, which leverages search capabilities, Anthropic’s Claude, and xAI’s Grok, known for its distinct sarcastic personality and real-time data integration on the X platform.