OpenAI Introduces Advanced Voice Mode With 5 New Voices: On Tuesday, OpenAI announced the rollout of its Advanced Voice Mode (AVM) for ChatGPT, a feature that aims to make interactions with the AI more conversational and natural. Initially available to subscribers of ChatGPT’s Plus and Teams tiers, the feature is expected to reach Enterprise and Education customers next week.
What’s New?
The Advanced Voice Mode introduces several exciting updates to enhance user experience. Users can expect a new design, represented by a dynamic blue animated sphere, replacing the previously showcased black dots. This visual update is part of OpenAI’s effort to create a more engaging interface for its audio features.
In addition to the aesthetic changes, AVM comes with five new voice options: Arbor, Maple, Sol, Spruce, and Vale. These names, inspired by nature, bring the total number of available voices to nine, which is almost on par with the offerings from competitors like Google’s Gemini Live.
OpenAI emphasized that the new voice feature has improved its ability to understand various accents and has been optimized for smoother, faster conversations. The company claims that users will notice a significant improvement in how the AI engages with them, making interactions feel more lifelike.
Customization and Memory Features
As part of this rollout, OpenAI is also enhancing some of ChatGPT’s customization options. The Custom Instructions feature allows users to personalize how the AI responds to them, while the Memory feature enables ChatGPT to recall previous conversations, creating a more tailored experience for users.
The Advanced Voice Mode can even express simple phrases, such as “Sorry I’m late,” in over 50 languages, demonstrating its versatility.
A Controversial Absence
However, not everything is included in this update. The previously showcased voice named Sky, which drew criticism for sounding too similar to Scarlett Johansson, has not been reintroduced following a legal dispute. Johansson raised concerns about the voice’s similarity to her portrayal of an AI in the film Her, prompting OpenAI to pause its use. The company insists that the voice was not intended to resemble Johansson’s and has since removed it from their offerings.
Additionally, the highly anticipated video and screen-sharing feature, which was demoed earlier this year, is still absent from the current rollout. This feature would allow ChatGPT to process visual and audible information simultaneously, a capability that remains on hold with no specified timeline for its release.
How to Access AVM
To use the Advanced Voice Mode, Plus and Teams subscribers can open the ChatGPT app and tap the voice icon located at the bottom right of the screen. A notification will appear when the feature is available to the user. Once activated, a blue orb will display on the screen, and users will hear a sound indicating that the AI is ready to engage in a voice conversation.
OpenAI has cautioned that there will be daily usage limits for this feature, which may vary. Notifications will inform users when they are nearing their time limit for voice interactions.
Regional Availability
Currently, the Advanced Voice Mode is not available in several regions, including the EU, the UK, Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, and Liechtenstein. OpenAI has not specified when or if the feature will be rolled out to these areas, which may be due to regulatory concerns surrounding privacy and data collection.
Conclusion
OpenAI’s Advanced Voice Mode is set to elevate the user experience for ChatGPT subscribers, offering new voice options, enhanced conversation capabilities, and customization features. While the absence of the Sky voice and the delay in video features may disappoint some users, the improvements in accent recognition and overall interaction quality signal a promising step forward for conversational AI.