OpenAI wants ChatGPT to stop waiting for its turn.
During a Wednesday livestream, the company unveiled GPT-Live, a new voice model powering ChatGPT Voice. OpenAI says the update is built to make talking with AI feel more like talking to a human.
Instead of waiting for a clean pause at the end of every sentence before responding, for example, the assistant can listen and speak simultaneously, OpenAI says. It will also acknowledge the user with an intermittent "mmhm," "yeah," and "got it" while the human is still talking.
In one demo, a user asked ChatGPT to fact-check the date of a coming meeting while also checking the weather and traffic along their route. ChatGPT responded with short acknowledgments like "hmm" and "sure," then continued working through the request without losing the thread as the user added more information requests.
OpenAI also showed off ChatGPT's ability to translate language in real time. Previous turn-based assistants had to wait for the speaker to finish before translating. Now, a full-duplex assistant — one that can listen and talk at the same time — can keep pace more naturally as a conversation unfolds, the company said.
Greg Brockman, OpenAI's president, described the update during the livestream as a "much more natural way of interacting with your computer."
OpenAI is not the only company trying to make AI voice assistants feel less like a baton-passing chatbot and more like an active listener. In May, Thinking Machines, the AI lab led by former OpenAI chief technology officer Mira Murati, teased similar technology. The company said its interaction models are designed to handle input and output continuously across audio, video, and text, instead of relying on the stop-and-start rhythm of traditional chatbots.
Thinking Machines said the updated models can "handle interaction natively" and smooth out human-to-AI interactions "rather than forcing humans to contort themselves to AI interfaces."
The update also arrives as AI language models have become an internet punchline. Creators regularly mock their oddly chipper tone, their overuse of phrases like "awesome," and the awkward little pause before an answer arrives.
Read next
Ben Shimkus is a reporter for the Business News desk. He writes about cars, transportation, retail, and jobs. Ben's reporting has appeared in Rolling Stone, The Verge, Automotive News, USA Today, AutoBody News, LGBTQ Nation, TopSpeed, and Out Magazine. He's also held staff writing positions at The U.S. Sun and the Daily Mail. He graduated from NYU with a Master's in journalism in 2024. Email Ben at [email protected] or message him privately on Signal at bshimkus.41.
Follow Following
Every time publishes a story, you’ll get an alert straight to your inbox!
Look out for an alert in your inbox the next time publishes a story!
Every time a new story is published, you’ll get an alert straight to your inbox!
Look out for an alert in your inbox the next time a new story is published!
By clicking “Sign up”, you agree to receive emails from Business Insider. In addition, you accept Insider’s Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
