OpenAI's Advanced Voice Mode is finally available for ChatGPT Plus and Team users
OpenAI is expanding its Advanced Voice Mode for ChatGPT to more paying customers, introducing new voices, improved functionality, and customization features, while addressing previous concerns and limitations.
OpenAI announced Tuesday that Advanced Voice Mode (AVM) will be available to Plus and Team users in the ChatGPT app, except those based in the EU, the UK, Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, and Liechtenstein. Notably, the AVM feature got a makeover and is now represented by a blue animated sphere, which replaces the black dots that could be seen when OpenAI first showcased the feature in May. Also missing is the notorious 'Sky' voice, paused after the controversy raised by actress Scarlett Johansson. The actress legally threatened OpenAI after the company released Sky, a voice quite reminiscent of hers after she was approached by the company and refused to lend her voice to the Voice Mode feature. Instead, AVM brings an expanded voice catalog including the original four voices and five new ones: Arbor, Maple, Sol, Spruce, and Vale.
The current AVM release is not vision-enabled and does not support the screen-sharing capabilities featured in the May showcase. Moreover, there seems to be no definite timeline for their rollout. However, AVM users can enjoy faster and smoother conversations, improved accents, and Custom Instructions. These text-based instructions let ChatGPT know some of your preferences and important details it should remember, so it can provide relevant and helpful information when conversing with users, like preferred names, location, and speed or enunciation adjustments.
