OpenAI launches faster and cheaper AI model with GPT-4o

OpenAI is launching a faster and cheaper version of the artificial intelligence model that underpins its chatbot, ChatGPT, as the startup works to hold on to its lead in an increasingly crowded market.

During a livestreamed event on Monday, OpenAI debuted GPT-4o. It’s an updated version of its GPT-4 model, which is now more than a year old. The new large language model, trained on vast amounts of data from the internet, will be better at handling text, audio and images in real-time. The updates will be available in the coming weeks.

Asked a question verbally, the system can reply with an audio response in milliseconds, the company said, allowing for a more fluid conversation. In a demonstration of the model, OpenAI researchers and Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati held a conversation with the new ChatGPT using just their voices, showing that the tool could talk back. During the presentation, the chatbot also appeared to translate speech from one language to another almost instantaneously, and at one point sang part of a story upon request. 

“This is the first time that we’re making a huge leap in the interaction and ease of use,” Murati told Bloomberg News. “We’re really making it possible for you to collaborate with tools like ChatGPT.”