I tried ChatGPT's new Advanced Voice Mode update – here's what changed

ChatGPT’s Advanced Voice Mode was the first major AI-powered voice assistant to mimic a human conversation, addressing typical voice assistant shortcomings. The latest update makes the conversation experience even more seamless and natural.

What’s new with Advanced Voice Mode?

On Monday, OpenAI shared a video announcing the latest Advanced Voice Mode update, which enhances its human-like conversational capabilities, allowing it to interrupt you less when you are talking. This allows you to pause as you are thinking while speaking without the assistant assuming your train of thought is over or cutting you off.

Also: How to use ChatGPT’s Voice Mode (and why you’ll want to)

Although Advanced Voice Mode has had this ability since its release, sometimes it would prematurely cut you off, making it a bit more challenging to have a multi-turn conversation than if you were talking to a human. In the demo video, you can pause the speaker for extended periods of time, and ChatGPT Advanced Voice Mode actively listens until she is done with her thought.

The AI voice assistant was also updated to have more personality, which OpenAI describes as “more engaging, direct, and concise.” With this update, it is meant to sound more “natural” and less robotic. This difference seems very subtle, ultimately coming down to a matter of preference.

Trying the new Advanced Voice Mode

Ever since I mapped my iPhone 16 Pro’s action button to ChatGPT, I have been open about how much I rely on the AI voice assistant for everyday tasks at least once a day. As a result, when this update was announced, I was excited to try it out since I was already a fan of the pre-update version.

Also: Forget the new Siri: Here’s the advanced AI I use on my iPhone instead

The experience loaded as usual when I activated it, so I wasn’t even sure I got the update. However, when I said an initial prompt, I noticed that the AI assistant waited longer than it typically would to respond. This wasn’t done in an unnatural way but rather in a way that didn’t feel rushed.

When I asked about the update, it said it has received the ability to chat more naturally. I followed up by asking exactly what that meant, and it responded, “I mean, I can respond in a way that feels more like a real conversation. I can adapt my tone, ask follow-up questions, and just generally keep things flowing more smoothly!”

Also: OpenAI research suggests heavy ChatGPT use might make you feel lonelier

The adapting tone feature was particularly noteworthy, as it is usually the missing element when talking to these AI assistants — that it can’t replicate from conversations with a human. To test it out, I told it that I was both feeling down and then feeling optimistic. In the different situations, it adjusted its voice to be more gentle and understanding, and then chirpy and upbeat.

How to access yourself

All users can access the update that makes Advanced Voice Mode interrupt you less, regardless of whether they have a subscription. The update that improves the model’s personality is only available to paid subscribers. Either way, to get started chatting, you have to click on the lack wave icon to the right of the message box on ChatGPT to start chatting.

Also: Could this be the reason you cancel your ChatGPT subscription?

Want more stories about AI? Sign up for Innovation, our weekly newsletter.