ChatGPT update enables users to interact with voice, images

This move will bring the AI chatbot in closer alignment with widely-used voice assistants such as Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa

OpenAI’s ChatGPT is poised for a major update, enabling the popular chatbot to participate in voice conversations with users and incorporate images for interactions. This enhancement aligns it more closely with widely-used artificial intelligence (AI) assistants such as Apple’s Siri. As per a Monday blog post by OpenAI, the voice feature introduces opportunities for a diverse range of creative and accessibility-focused applications.

Integrated seamlessly with their host devices, AI services such as Siri, Google Voice Assistant, and Amazon’s Alexa are commonly employed for tasks like setting alarms, reminders, and retrieving internet-based information.

Introduced last year, ChatGPT has found utility in diverse industries, handling tasks from document summarization to coding. This has triggered a competitive race among major tech companies to unveil their own generative AI solutions. Google is in the process of launching its counterpart, Gemini, currently undergoing testing with select companies. Meanwhile, Amazon recently disclosed a significant investment of up to $4 billion in the AI startup Anthropic to strengthen its generative AI initiatives.

The new voice feature in ChatGPT allows it to narrate bedtime stories, settle dinner table debates, and articulate text input from users. OpenAI also mentioned that Spotify is utilizing this technology to help podcasters translate their content into different languages.

Concerning image support, users can capture images of their surroundings and instruct the chatbot to carry out tasks such as diagnosing grill issues, inspecting the fridge contents for meal planning, or analyzing complex graphs for work-related data.

At present, Google Lens from Alphabet is the preferred choice for extracting information from images.