OpenAI is expanding its Advanced Voice Mode (AVM) to a broader audience, targeting paying customers in the ChatGPT Plus and Teams tiers. The rollout begins this week, while Enterprise and Edu customers are expected to gain access next week.
The AVM update includes a revamped design, now featuring a blue animated sphere instead of the black dots previously showcased in May.
Five New Voices Join ChatGPT
Alongside the design change, ChatGPT is introducing five new voices—Arbor, Maple, Sol, Spruce, and Vale—bringing the total number of voices to nine. These names are consistent with a nature-inspired theme, aligning with AVM’s goal of making ChatGPT feel more natural to interact with.
Notably, Sky, a voice initially presented in OpenAI’s spring update, is absent due to legal action from actress Scarlett Johansson, who claimed it resembled her voice. OpenAI responded by removing Sky and clarifying that no resemblance was intended.
However, the rollout omits the video and screen-sharing features introduced during the spring update. These capabilities were designed to allow ChatGPT to process both visual and auditory information simultaneously, such as solving math problems or analyzing code in real-time. No timeline has been provided for when these multimodal functionalities will become available.
OpenAI also highlighted improvements in AVM since its limited alpha release, stating that the system now handles accents more effectively and delivers smoother, faster conversations. Despite earlier reports of glitches during testing, the company asserts that these issues have been addressed.
Additionally, OpenAI is extending some customization features to AVM, including Custom Instructions, which allows users to personalize ChatGPT’s responses, and Memory, enabling the system to retain conversation history for future reference.
As of now, AVM is not available in several regions, including the European Union, the U.K., Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, and Liechtenstein.
Featured Image courtesy of OpenAI
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