OpenAI’s ChatGPT voice assistant is clearly trying to move the needle for voice commands.
In a sample posted online of what’s expected to be ChatGPT’s updated Advanced Voice Mode, Redditor RozziTheCreator showed off what the new voice option sounds like and how it can incorporate sound effects into its responses. Not only is the voice incredibly realistic, but there are well-timed thunderstorm sounds in the background that add another level of immersion.
We were already impressed when OpenAI revealed its GPT-4o update earlier this year, showing off its AI assistant solving math problems and singing. However, the company continued to wow us with demos uploaded to its YouTube, where we can see ChatGPT make up stories with multiple characters and different voices and even two instances of GPT-4o interacting with each other. This latest leaked update with sound effects shows us that OpenAI’s ChatGPT has even more use cases than we first gave it credit for.
A Promising Rough Draft
Listening to the audio sample, the sound effects had a rough semblance of what an actual thunderstorm sounds like. Considering this leak was likely tied to an accidental release, we might get a more refined version once OpenAI eventually releases its Advanced Voice Mode. Even so, it’s clear how a few sound effects create some mystery and drama for the random story you ask ChatGPT to generate.
It may seem basic given all of the AI feats we’ve seen thus far, but consider that the AI chatbot was smart enough to create a fitting sound byte and time it for maximum immersion, all while delivering its response with an incredibly human-like voice.
The extra ability to create sound effects would be perfect for lots of prompts, like generating a bedtime story for your kid or converting plain text into a more engaging and customized audiobook — one Redditor even suggested that it could fill in for your dungeon master during a Dungeons & Dragons campaign. There’s no shortage of possibilities here and there’s no doubt that OpenAI could improve on this feature in the future.
Still Not Ready For Release
Even though we got a sneak peek of ChatGPT’s Advanced Voice Mode thanks to this Reddit leak, it doesn’t look like it’s ready for an official release yet. Even the Redditor who stumbled onto the new mode said the voice assistant went on the fritz shortly after where the sample audio ends. On top of that, OpenAI recently announced that it had to delay the Advanced Voice Mode’s launch because it needed more time for testing.
The company’s latest update was further complicated thanks to legal issues; actor Scarlett Johansson threatened a lawsuit against OpenAI due to how similar the now-removed Sky option sounded to the actor’s voice.
Either way, the latest teaser of OpenAI’s new voice mode gives us a glimpse into the future of more advanced large language models that power AI chatbots and how they could augment voice inputs. Buckle up, because things are about to get even weirder.
