OpenAI launches GPT-Live-1 voice models that listen and speak simultaneously for ChatGPT

ChatGPT's New Voice Models Can 'Listen' and 'Talk' at the Same Time

OpenAI is updating its AI voice technology to match its text-based artificial intelligence. Two new models, GPT-Live-1 and a mini version, are rolling out now to all ChatGPT users. The new model duo relies on OpenAI's latest frontier models. You can select from three different levels of intelligence, depending on how in-depth you want the responses to be. But the biggest update should be that the voice sounds more human and is more conversational, Atty Eleti, product lead for ChatGPT voice, told reporters. One of the biggest changes under the hood is a new process called continuous interaction. This framework allows the AI to simultaneous receive information and produce outputs -- so in the case of voice, it can "listen" and "speak" at the same time. This is a change from previous voice modes that could only respond after you finished speaking. It's helpful if you want to do live, simultaneous translation: You can speak in English and have ChatGPT translate what you're saying into Spanish, Hindi or another language with only a small delay period. Part of the new architecture can also delegate or offload tasks to OpenAI's frontier models. For example, it can answer a question you asked while researching another one. "When GPT-Live has to think hard for a question, it can delegate its reasoning and complex task to GPT-5.5, which can do things in parallel, and this GPT-Live can still remain in conversation with the user," said Kundan Kumar, research lead for the GPT-Live model. When it's done, it "seamlessly weaves" the answer into its response. "This is exactly how humans interact with each other," Eleti added. "We keep the conversation going while we think in the background." It also uses OpenAI's newer AI design tech to create some visual answers, when appropriate, "because sometimes the best answer is displayed, not spoken out loud," Eleti said. Think weather reports, sports scores and other kinds of graphics. These new voice models are available now for all ChatGPT users, including free users and paying subscribers, on your mobile apps and the website. Don't worry if you don't see it right away; OpenAI says it may take a day or two to ensure everyone has access. This is separate from Thursday's expected GPT-5.6 series drop. You'll notice that one way the AI voice tries to mimic human speech is with filler words -- those "ums" "uhs" and "likes" that we use while thinking through our thoughts aloud. Those are new to this update. You can also interrupt it with fewer lags. You can have it sit quietly and listen, only responding when called upon with its name as a wake word. Unlike Siri and Alexa, though, ChatGPT will be actively listening until it's manually disabled. OpenAI automatically opts you out of AI training with voice mode. Audio clips are stored for 30 days -- so the AI has the context from prior conversations -- and can be deleted. Having an AI that feels more human comes with risk, though. We've seen numerous cases (and lawsuits) of the harms of anthropomorphizing AI can wreak, particularly for folks struggling with their mental health. OpenAI says the new models have expanded safeguards and performed better than previous models on "key safety areas" including self-harm, psychosis, violence and sexual content.

OpenAI bets voice will become AI's primary interface with new models

Why it matters: The company sees this as a step toward a future where voice is the primary way people interact with AI. Zoom in: OpenAI says its smartest voice models yet, GPT-Live-1 and GPT-Live-1 mini, make conversations feel more human by allowing users to interrupt naturally and pause speech without the model cutting them off. * The voice models will now route queries to OpenAI's latest frontier text models, addressing what executives acknowledge has been a limitation for users. * They can also listen and speak at the same time, aiding in language translation capabilities. What they're saying: "This is the beginning. Over time, we think this will also unlock the ability to use voice as kind of the primary interface to computing," Atty Eleti, product lead for ChatGPT Voice, said. * It can also be used to "manage increasingly complex, long-running, agentic work." Follow the money: Voice is typically a more expensive and token-heavy way to interact with an AI model. * OpenAI said inference costs have come down enough to make the economics of voice work, so they're rolling this out to free users starting Wednesday. The intrigue: Given the company's push into hardware, the focus on voice could be an indication of future plans for a device that users interact with primarily via voice. * OpenAI said they did not have any hardware related news to share on a press briefing call with reporters about the voice models. Friction point: Audio is stored for 30 days for context and memory, though users can delete and export data any time.

ChatGPT's 'smartest voice model ever' is rolling out to everyone today -- and GPT-Live-1 gives you more natural conversations without interruptions

OpenAI's new GPT-Live models are coming to everybody starting today * ChatGPT's new voice mode is rolling out today to everybody, even Free users * It allows for much more natural conversations and won't interrupt if you stop talking * You'll be able to do simultaneous translation for the first time ever in ChatGPT OpenAI has upgraded ChatGPT's voice mode for everybody with two new models that are rolling out globally, starting today. I listened to the new GPT-Live-1 model in a demo run by OpenAI, and it does sound much more natural than ChatGPT's previous voice model. The new model aims to address two particular problems with the existing ChatGPT voice mode. Firstly, the previous version just wasn't as smart as the text version of ChatGPT. Secondly, it tended to interrupt too much. You notice this especially if you go quiet while you're thinking of a reply -- ChatGPT will often fill the gap by talking. Sounding more intelligent To get around the intelligence problem, the new model actually delegates harder questions to ChatGPT-5.5, then comes back with an answer. It will say things like "let me just check that for you" to let you know it's doing this, which keeps the flow of conversation feeling natural and doesn't make it seem like you have to wait too long for an answer. It does the same thing with any answer it needs to look up on the web. So, for example, if you asked it when your team's next match was in the World Cup, it would say something like "OK, let me check that" while looking it up using GPT-5.5, then give you the answer. "Hey Chat" OpenAI also demonstrated how the new ChatGPT voice mode is quite happy to stop talking and listen if you tell it to, without interrupting. You can simply ask it not to reply until you speak to it directly again, and it will wait. Of course, this requires you to call it a name, which it doesn't officially have. In the demonstration I saw, the OpenAI employee called it "Chat", so he said "Hey Chat", just like you would say "Hey Siri". In practice that seems to work quite well. Simultaneous translation The final new feature of note is simultaneous translation. If you watch world leaders being briefed at places like the United Nations, you'll see that they have an earpiece through which they receive a simultaneous translation in their own language of whatever the speaker is saying. Now you can do this with ChatGPT. Say "I'd like you to simultaneously translate whatever I'm saying into [language]", then start talking, and ChatGPT will provide a live translation as you speak. Seeing this in action was actually quite impressive and I could imagine it being very handy in several real world situations. All major languages appear to be supported as well. The future for AI The new GPT-Live-1 models -- there are two, the normal one and a mini version -- will start rolling out for all users immediately, but it could take a few days to reach everybody. The smaller GPT-Live-1 mini model will be the default for Free users, while paid users get the full GPT-Live-1 model. So far, ChatGPT's voice mode has been a handy tool for when you need to use your hands for something and can't type, but it's never been good enough to become the standard way you interact with ChatGPT. Now it looks like OpenAI is trying to unlock the ability to use voice as the primary interface to AI, and it's quite possible that this is the future OpenAI is aiming for. Today I think we've all just taken a step closer to it. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.

OpenAI launches GPT-Live voice models for ChatGPT By Investing.com

Investing.com -- OpenAI released GPT-Live on Wednesday, a new generation of voice models designed to make conversations with artificial intelligence more natural. The models now power ChatGPT Voice. GPT-Live uses a full-duplex architecture that allows it to listen and speak simultaneously. During conversations, the model can acknowledge input with phrases like "mhmm" or "yeah," engage in rapid exchanges, or remain silent when needed. The company said GPT-Live can delegate tasks requiring web search, deeper reasoning, or complex work to frontier models running in the background. At launch, GPT-Live will use GPT-5.5 for these tasks. OpenAI plans to update the underlying model as new frontier models become available. OpenAI is rolling out two versions: GPT-Live-1 and GPT-Live-1 mini. Both are being distributed to ChatGPT users globally starting Wednesday. The company said it plans to make the models available through its API soon. Previous voice systems relied on cascaded models that processed speech in sequence, or turn-based models that required users to finish speaking before responding. GPT-Live processes input continuously while generating output, allowing it to make interaction decisions multiple times per second. In head-to-head evaluations, GPT-Live-1 and GPT-Live-1 mini were preferred over Advanced Voice Mode in conversations lasting five to ten minutes. The evaluations measured overall preference, turn-taking, interruptions, conversational flow, and how natural interactions felt. More than 150 million people use ChatGPT Voice and Dictation features weekly, according to OpenAI. The new ChatGPT Voice experience includes natural conversations, smarter answers with access to frontier models, improved listening capabilities, and visual responses. Users can choose reasoning levels: Instant for fast responses, or Medium and High for more complex thinking. ChatGPT Voice can now display visual cards for topics including weather, stocks, and sports while users are talking. The feature continues to support search, memory, images, and file uploads. GPT-Live-1 will become the default model for Go, Plus, and Pro users, while GPT-Live-1 mini will serve Free users. The models are available on iOS, Android, and ChatGPT.com. At launch, GPT-Live will not support voice with video or screen sharing in ChatGPT. OpenAI said it is working to add these capabilities. Users can still access previous versions of ChatGPT Voice where these features are available. This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.