NEW DELHI: ChatGPT, a chatbot developed by OpenAI and launched in late 2022, has spurred competition among tech giants to develop similar chatbots to stay competitive in the market. Since its launch, the chatbot has garnered significant attention and, within days, achieved record download numbers. This success spurred other companies, particularly Google, to develop similar chatbots to remain competitive in the market. As a result, over the past two years, many tech giants have introduced their own chatbot models or generative AI offerings. For example, Microsoft created Copilot, while Google introduced its own model—Bard. The company has now announced the launch of its newest model, GPT-4o, which is bundled with a range of advanced features. OpenAI also has a desktop version of ChatGPT. The best part of GPT-4o is that it is free for consumers. Here’s a quick look:
What is GPT-4o and what is new about it?
GPT-4o, where ‘o’ standing for omni, is said to provide superior intelligence and much faster responses. Unlike its previous version, which was limited to accepting text or responding with only text, GPT-4o can do a lot more. According to the, the latest version is a step towards natural human-computer interaction—it accepts as input any combination of text, audio, image, and video, and generates any combination of text, audio, and image outputs. Not only this, the company claims it responds to audio inputs in as little as 232 milliseconds, with an average of 320 milliseconds, which is similar to human response time in a conversation.
How is it better?
According to the company, GPT-4o is especially better at vision and audio understanding compared to existing models. To make advanced AI more accessible and useful worldwide, GPT-4o’s language capabilities are improved in terms of quality and speed. ChatGPT now supports more than 50 languages across sign-up and login, user settings, and more. However, there will be a limit on the number of messages that free users can send with GPT-4o depending on usage and demand. When the limit is reached, ChatGPT will automatically switch to GPT-3.5 so users can continue their conversations.
How does it work?
GPT-4o is much better than any existing model at understanding and discussing the images you share. According to the company, you can now take a picture of a menu in a different language and talk to GPT-4o to translate it, learn about the food’s history and significance, and get recommendations. The company claims that future improvements will allow for more natural, real-time voice conversation and the ability to converse with ChatGPT via real-time video. For example, you could show ChatGPT a live sports game and ask it to explain the rules. Whether you want to brainstorm a new idea for your company, prepare for an interview, or have a topic you would like to discuss, tap the headphone icon in the bottom right corner of the desktop app to start a voice conversation.
Desktop version
For both free and paid users, the company has launched a ChatGPT desktop app, which is currently available only for macOS users. The desktop version is designed to integrate seamlessly into anything that you do on your Mac. With a keyboard shortcut (Option + Space), you can instantly ask ChatGPT a question. You can also take and discuss screenshots directly in the app. The Windows version is expected to be released later this year.