ChatGPT gets 13 new voices with GPT-Live-1.1

What's new

OpenAI has updated ChatGPT's voice feature with a new voice model, GPT-Live-1.1. It brings 13 new voices. They are in French, German, Hindi, Japanese, Korean and Mexican Spanish, plus one new English voice.

The two new Hindi voices are called Neer and Leher. They became known through a festival campaign in India, where they appear in the film "The Notice." It follows the Kumar family, whose ancestral home and land a property developer is laying claim to. The family uses ChatGPT in the case, and the voices feature in their conversations with it. According to Storyboard18, the campaign will expand through the festival season with more films about other members of the family, showing different ways of using ChatGPT.

What's smart about it

The idea is for a conversation with ChatGPT to sound more like a conversation between people, especially in languages other than English. The update improves accent and pronunciation, offers more varied phrasing when ChatGPT searches the web, and delivers a better conversational flow while it works on a task.

That is not the same as fewer errors, though. According to the source, the update does not guarantee fewer errors or misunderstandings. So it is primarily the voice and rhythm that have improved, not necessarily the content of the answers.

Sheeladitya Mohanty, marketing head for OpenAI in India, says of the campaign: "We want AI to be useful in everyday life for people across India, regardless of language, age or occupation."

Cheaper or better?

The full GPT-Live-1.1 is available to users with a Plus subscription and above. A lighter version, GPT-Live-1.1 Quip, is available to other eligible users. The subscription prices are not stated in the sources, and the same goes for measurements of speed or quality.

Comparisons with competitors' voice features are not included in the sources either, so it is not possible to say whether ChatGPT with the new model is ahead or behind. The rollout is happening gradually, and access depends on region, account and subscription. The sources do not make clear whether or when the new voices will be available in Denmark and the EU.

The information about the model itself comes from a secondary outlet, and OpenAI's own announcement is not included.

What it's good for

If you have an account with access, you can find the voices under Settings > Voice. The update is most interesting for those who talk to ChatGPT in languages other than English, for example French, German, Japanese, Korean, Spanish or Hindi, and who want more natural pronunciation and accent.

It is also relevant for those who use voice for tasks on the go, where a better conversational flow makes it easier to talk your way through a task. Note that the campaign in India is marketing. The Hindi voices are part of a broader global voice update and not something that applies only to India. Danish is not mentioned among the new languages.