OpenAI Innovates ChatGPT with New Talking Function

Contrary to rumors, it’s not GPT-5. Instead, OpenAI responded to the launch of the newly acclaimed most powerful large language model (LLM) from rival Anthropic today with a minor yet potentially beneficial update for ChatGPT users: voiceover narration for the chatbot’s responses.

Accessible on the ChatGPT mobile apps for both iOS and Android, the new feature, named “Read Aloud,” can be activated by pressing down on ChatGPT’s response and selecting the appropriately labeled option from a pop-up menu.

OpenAI has also announced the rollout of this feature on the web, accessible by clicking a microphone icon beneath the chatbot output. According to an OpenAI spokesperson, the feature “can be useful when utilizing ChatGPT on the move, during times when hands-free operation is necessary, or when listening to a message aloud enhances comprehension.”

The introduction of this new feature coincides with OpenAI’s ongoing legal dispute with Elon Musk and competition from rivals like Anthropic and Google, which have unveiled LLMs surpassing its flagship model in power. However, Google’s Gemini, in particular, has faced significant backlash and scrutiny regarding its response guardrails and generation of racially ambiguous images.

In the message on X formerly Twitter, OpenAI stated “ChatGPT can now read responses to you. On iOS or Android, tap and hold the message and then tap “Read Aloud”. We’ve also started rolling on web – click the “Read Aloud” button below the message. “