OpenAI Expands ChatGPT’s Voice Capabilities

OpenAI has announced the rollout of an enhanced voice mode for ChatGPT, available to all Plus and Team subscription users within the week.

Advanced Voice is rolling out to all Plus and Team users in the ChatGPT app over the course of the week.

While you’ve been patiently waiting, we’ve added Custom Instructions, Memory, five new voices, and improved accents.

It can also say “Sorry I’m late” in over 50 languages. pic.twitter.com/APOqqhXtDg

— OpenAI (@OpenAI) September 24, 2024

Enterprise and Edu subscribers will gain access to the feature next week, with notifications appearing in the app. The tool is currently unavailable in the EU, UK, Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, and Liechtenstein.

The advanced voice mode facilitates more natural, smooth, and rapid interactions with AI. The chatbot now better understands accents, can interrupt speech and switch topics seamlessly, and remembers conversations for future reference.

OpenAI has introduced five new voices—Arbor, Maple, Sol, Spruce, and Vale—alongside existing ones like Breeze, Juniper, Cove, and Ember.

OpenAI Urges Government to Build Massive Data Centers

OpenAI has highlighted to President Joe Biden’s administration the need for data centers capable of consuming electricity on a scale comparable to entire cities. Bloomberg reports this based on a document the AI startup sent to the government.

The document outlines the benefits of constructing 5 GW data centers across various states. For context, this capacity is akin to five nuclear reactors, sufficient to power 3 million households, the agency notes.

Investments in these facilities would create tens of thousands of new jobs, boost GDP, and ensure the US maintains its leadership in AI development, the document states.

In July, OpenAI introduced an alpha version of the advanced voice mode GPT-4o to a small group of ChatGPT Plus users.

In May, the startup announced a “more human-like” version of ChatGPT.

CEO Sam Altman plans to undertake a large-scale project to develop AI hardware and systems worth tens of billions of dollars.