OpenAI Launches GPT-4o: A Faster Model Free for All ChatGPT Users

Screenshot: OpenAI

In a significant stride towards enhancing its flagship product, OpenAI has unveiled the latest iteration of its renowned GPT-4 model, dubbed GPT-4o. The announcement, made by OpenAI CTO Mira Murati during a livestream event on Monday, highlights the accelerated performance of the updated model and its amplified capabilities spanning text, vision, and audio domains.

According to Murati, GPT-4o promises a substantial boost in speed, catering to the evolving needs of users. Moreover, in a bid to democratize access to advanced AI technologies, OpenAI has declared GPT-4o to be freely available for all ChatGPT users. Murati further elucidated that while free users will benefit from the model, paid subscribers will enjoy enhanced capacity limits, up to five times greater than their complimentary counterparts.

A blog post from OpenAI delineates the gradual rollout of GPT-4o's expansive features, with immediate availability of text and image capabilities within ChatGPT. CEO Sam Altman emphasized the model's native multimodal prowess, empowering it to seamlessly interpret and generate content across voice, text, and image inputs.

A notable enhancement accompanying GPT-4o's debut is the enrichment of ChatGPT's voice mode, akin to the persona depicted in the acclaimed movie "Her." This revamped feature enables real-time interactions, fostering a dynamic conversational experience that synchronizes with the user's environment.

Screenshot: OpenAI

Reflecting on OpenAI's evolution, Altman acknowledged the company's shift in focus towards enabling developers to innovate using their AI models via paid APIs. He iterated, "Instead, it now looks like we'll create AI and then other people will use it to create all sorts of amazing things that we all benefit from."

Prior speculations surrounding OpenAI's announcement hinted at diverse possibilities, including the unveiling of an AI-powered search engine rivalling industry giants, or the integration of Perplexity, a voice assistant, into GPT-4. However, the unveiling of GPT-4o precedes Google's highly anticipated I/O conference, where expectations loom high for AI revelations from the tech titan's Gemini team.

With GPT-4o's debut, OpenAI continues to fortify its position as a trailblazer in AI innovation while reaffirming its commitment to fostering accessible and transformative AI technologies for the global community.

Editor’s note: This article was written by Jonathan Gasca in collaboration with OpenAI’s GPT-3.5.