ChatGPT given terrifying new powers bringing it one step closer to being human

27 September 2023 , 11:51

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ChatGPT just got a lot more powerful

Just when you thought AI couldn't get any creepier, ChatGPT has been given one of its biggest upgrades yet—and it's astonishingly lifelike. OpenAI announced this week that it has begun rolling out voice and image capabilities to ChatGPT which make it much more powerful.

As well as texting the AI chat tool, you can now speak to it as you would with Amazon Alexa or Siri—and it will talk back. On top of that, ChatGPT can now scan photos and images on your phone and use these to give you answers.

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We tried out some of the new ChatGPT voices ourselves, and they're creepily realistic. With voices like 'Cove', 'Juniper', 'Sky' and 'Breeze', ChatGPT is able to mimic a variety of human voices with astonishing accuracy and very few telltale signs suggesting a computer-generated voice.

ChatGPT showed off how the image chat tool can be used (OpenAI)

OpenAI describes the feature as enabling 'back-and-forth conversation' with the virtual assistant, allowing you to 'settle a dinner table debate' or 'request a bedtime story for your family'.

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To try it out, you just have to head to the Settings page on your ChatGPT app then tap 'New Features'. You'll be given the choice of opting-in to voice conversations and, once you do, you'll see a headphone button in the top-right corner of the screen to select your preferred voice.

OpenAI said it sees voice chat as a powerful use case for AI voice technology, which has previously been criticised for being risky as it could allow people to impersonate others or even commit fraud. The firm wrote: "The new voice technology—capable of crafting realistic synthetic voices from just a few seconds of real speech—opens doors to many creative and accessibility-focused applications.

"However, these capabilities also present new risks such as the potential for malicious actors to impersonate public figures or commit fraud. That's why we are using this technology to power [voice chat]"

The new image capabilities have also been shown off in a video by OpenAI, with a user showing a picture of their bicycle and asking ChatGPT for tips on how to adjust the seat. ChatGPT is able to quickly analyse images and provide feedback to the user through the chat interface. OpenAI says it hopes that the feature will be able to help people with vision impairment or disabilities and 'assist' them in their daily life.

The only catch is that the new features are only going to be available to ChatGPT Plus and Enterprise users at the minute. So if you want to upgrade your phone with this cutting-edge AI that's definitely not going to overthrow us, you'll have to fetch your wallet.

Ciaran Daly