OpenAI has introduced ChatGPT-4o, a new and improved version of its artificial intelligence model, ChatGPT-4, during a livestreamed event on Monday. This updated model, designed to be faster and more cost-effective, will be available to all users at no cost, according to the company’s announcement report says.
ChatGPT-4o boasts enhanced capabilities in handling text and audio inputs, and can work proficiently in 50 languages. While the text and image features began rolling out on Monday through API and ChatGPT, OpenAI revealed that voice and video functionalities will be launched in the upcoming weeks.
The timing of OpenAI’s announcement is notable, coming just a day before the Google I/O developer conference. Google, a significant player in the artificial intelligence domain, is anticipated to unveil its own AI advancements during the event, in a bid to stay competitive with Microsoft-backed OpenAI.
AI for All: A Vision from OpenAI’s CEO
In a post on his personal blog, OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman emphasized the company’s mission to democratize AI. Altman highlighted that ChatGPT-4o will be “the best model in the world available for free in ChatGPT, without ads or anything like that.”
Altman reflected on OpenAI’s original goal of creating AI to benefit the world. “Instead, it now looks like we’ll create AI and then other people will use it to create all sorts of amazing things that we all benefit from,” he wrote. While acknowledging that OpenAI remains a business with services to monetize, he assured that these efforts would support the provision of outstanding, free AI services to potentially billions of people.
Describing the new voice and video modes as the “best compute interface” he has ever used, Altman compared the experience to AI from the movies, noting the significant improvement in response times and expressiveness. He remarked that the original ChatGPT had already showcased the potential of language interfaces, making interactions feel “viscerally different, fast, smart, fun, natural, and helpful.”
Altman expressed optimism about the future of AI, particularly as it becomes more personalized and capable of accessing user information and taking actions on their behalf. “I can really see an exciting future where we are able to use computers to do much more than ever before,” he concluded.
