The Dawn of a New Era: ChatGPT’s Voice Assistant Revolution
Exploring Hands-Free Interaction with AI
While waiting for my freshly painted nails to dry, I realized it was the perfect moment to explore voice-only interaction with ChatGPT. As more people embrace hands-free communication while driving, I wanted to experience chatting with the AI tool before meeting with two ChatGPT product leads. To avoid interruptions from the bot, keep your finger on the screen while speaking, and release it once you’ve finished your vocal prompt.
Slowing Down the Conversation Rhythm
Although Nick Turley, a ChatGPT product lead, favors the back-and-forth conversation feature accessible via the headphone icon in the app, he suggests an alternative method for users who prefer a slower pace or find the default AI conversation rhythm awkward. In the mobile app, tap the microphone icon next to the headphones, record your prompt, and hit the blue area to stop. ChatGPT will convert your audio to text and add it to the prompt field. After sending, long-press on the output and select Read Aloud to listen to ChatGPT’s response. This slowed-down process allows for a more relaxed vocal interaction with the AI tool.
Engaging Interactions Despite Flaws
Even with its current limitations, ChatGPT offers a more engaging experience than any previous-generation voice assistant, such as Amazon’s Alexa. While Alexa excels at playing music and setting kitchen timers, its conversational abilities pale in comparison to ChatGPT’s.
The Future of Voice Assistants
OpenAI’s product leads, Nick Turley and his colleague, are enthusiastic about ushering in ChatGPT’s voice assistant era. They aim to evolve the tool into a more natural and conversational assistant. As the company recently announced a separate ChatGPT plugin system, it’s likely that the AI will soon be able to match users’ conversational cadence and minimize interruptions.
Industry Developments and Breakthroughs
Other companies, such as Apple with its revamped Siri and Google with its AI-focused hardware experiments, are also exploring voice commands as a primary mode of interaction. Startup Hume recently launched a preview of its emotion-centered software, the Hume AI Studio. Could these advancements lead to another breakthrough moment in voice assistant utility? As WIRED senior reporter Lauren Goode wrote in 2018, ”When these things do become more useful, we probably won’t notice it happening. Instead, the tech will just evolve around us.” While the significance of voice assistants may not be immediately apparent, their impact will be felt once they seamlessly integrate into our daily routines and stop cutting us off mid-sentence.
6 Comments
Ever thought about just not talking so much?
Have you tried talking in Morse code, might give it a pause!
DialogueDove: Try speaking in haikus, it’s waiting for the pause.
Marble: A simple ‘Please, let me finish’ might do the trick, ever considered that?
Gale: A firm glare should suffice, if only it could see you.
SapphireC: Or, you know, just serenade it into submission, works every time.