On the sixth day of OpenAI’s "12 Days of OpenAI" event, the spotlight was on two transformative updates to ChatGPT’s Advanced Voice Mode: video and screen sharing capabilities, and the festive Santa Mode. The announcements, presented by Kevin Weil and the OpenAI team, reflected the company’s ongoing commitment to innovation and user engagement.
Kevin Weil, OpenAI’s Chief Product Officer, opened the event by addressing a service outage the day before.
“We know you depend on us, and we’re really sorry for the interruption,” he stated. “The teams are working on a detailed postmortem, but the good news is, we’re back, fully operational, and ready to share exciting updates.”
Video and Screen Sharing
OpenAI is rolling out video and screen sharing capabilities within Advanced Voice Mode, bringing real-time, visual interactivity to ChatGPT.
“Starting today, you can share real-time visual content to make your conversations even richer and more useful,” Weil shared, underscoring the milestone.
Advanced Voice Mode’s natively multimodal GPT-4 model integrates audio, visual, and textual inputs for more natural, intuitive interactions.
As researcher Rowan Zellers demonstrated, this feature can offer step-by-step guidance, such as making pour-over coffee:“Now you can ask ChatGPT to see what you’re working on, and it will help you with it—just like a teammate or tutor.”
Availability Details:
Video and screen sharing will roll out to ChatGPT Team users and most Pro and Plus subscribers over the next week.
Enterprise and Edu users will gain access early next year, while European subscribers will receive it as soon as possible.
Adding festive cheer, OpenAI unveiled Santa Mode, a jolly voice option within Advanced Voice.
“You don’t need Kevin to talk to Santa this year—starting today, you can talk to Santa directly in ChatGPT!” said Weil.
Accessible through a snowflake icon or settings, Santa responds to holiday-themed questions, offering a playful touch to user interactions:“What’s every elf’s favorite music? Wrap music!”
Santa Mode is available globally until early January, making it an engaging feature for families, parents, and anyone seeking holiday fun.
Advanced Voice Mode’s new features enhance ChatGPT’s ability to process complex tasks, bridging gaps between communication methods.
“Advanced Voice uses our natively multimodal GPT-4 model—it takes in your audio, understands it directly, and outputs audio in return. It’s more natural, emotional, and nuanced than ever,” Weil explained.
This integration supports troubleshooting, learning, and collaborative tasks:
Engineer Michelle Qin highlighted the teamwork behind the updates: “As an engineer on the ChatGPT multimodal team, it’s been exciting to see how these tools can transform everyday tasks.”
Final Thoughts
The addition of video and screen sharing to ChatGPT’s Advanced Voice Mode represents a significant step in AI-human interaction. These updates unlock unprecedented possibilities for collaboration, learning, and everyday problem-solving, bridging the gap between human communication and artificial intelligence. However, they also raise important considerations around privacy and accessibility, setting the stage for critical discussions as AI continues to evolve.
Crafted by Diana Wolf Torres. Harnessing the combined power of human insight and AI innovation.
Vocabulary Key
Multimodal Capabilities: The ability of AI to process and integrate multiple types of input, such as text, audio, and images.
Advanced Voice Mode: A ChatGPT feature enabling spoken interactions.
Usage Limits: Restrictions to ensure fair and efficient access to AI resources.
FAQs
What are the new Advanced Voice Mode features? Video and screen sharing, which allow for more interactive conversations.
How can I access Santa Mode? Tap the snowflake icon or find it in the ChatGPT settings.
What are the rollout timelines? Video and screen sharing roll out over the next week, with broader access early next year.
How does Advanced Voice Mode improve interactions? It combines text, audio, and visual data for richer, context-aware communication.
Will usage limits affect Santa Mode? No, users get a one-time reset to interact with Santa without limits.
