OpenAI rolled out updates to its Advanced Voice Mode in ChatGPT on Monday, aiming for more natural, less interruptive real-time conversations. The update addresses a common issue where the AI assistant would cut in when users paused to think or breathe.
Manuka Stratta, a post-training researcher at OpenAI, revealed the changes in a video posted on the company’s social media channels.
The new version of Advanced Voice Mode is now available to all ChatGPT users. Free users can now speak without constant interruptions, and paying subscribers (Plus, Teams, Edu, Business, and Pro tiers) will experience fewer interruptions and an upgraded personality for the assistant.
An OpenAI spokesperson confirmed to TechCrunch that the updated AI voice assistant for paying users delivers responses that are “more direct, engaging, concise, specific, and creative.”
These improvements arrive as competition heats up in the AI voice assistant arena. Startups like Sesame, backed by Andreessen Horowitz and co-founded by Oculus co-founder Brendan Iribe, have gained attention with their natural-sounding AI voices, Maya and Miles. Meanwhile, major players like Amazon are moving forward, with plans to release an LLM-powered version of Alexa.
