Kyle Marcelino Tech 06.25.2024 23:Jun PM EDT

OpenAI Delays GPT-4o's 'Voice Mode' to July Over Technical Issues

OpenAI is delaying its GPT-4o advanced "Voice Mode" to July after finding several technical and performance issues.

In a customer update on X (formerly Twitter), OpenAI disclosed that it may need "one more month" to reach the desired improvement on the AI-powered feature for its ChatGPT Plus subscribers.

We're sharing an update on the advanced Voice Mode we demoed during our Spring Update, which we remain very excited about:

We had planned to start rolling this out in alpha to a small group of ChatGPT Plus users in late June, but need one more month to reach our bar to launch.…
— OpenAI (@OpenAI) June 25, 2024

The AI firm claimed that the model still needed improvements in detecting and refusing certain user prompts, as well as upgrading the AI's infrastructure to accommodate millions of users "while maintaining real-time responses."

This is in addition to changes in the AI model's video and screen-sharing features. No exact date has been given when will the AI be released as it would "depend on meeting our high safety and reliability bar."

GPT-4o Will Still Come by Fall, OpenAI Claims

OpenAI assured that will still gather early testers' feedback before releasing the advanced "Voice Mode" to all ChatGPT Plus users by the fall of this year.

OpenAI initially announced the "Voice Mode" update to be released publicly "in coming weeks" last May 13. It has been over a month since then.

The "Voice Mode" feature is the same tool that got recently involved in controversy after Scarlett Johansson accused OpenAI of using her voice's likeness to power one of its voice assistants, "Sky."

Also Read: Scarlett Johansson Slams OpenAI for Using Her Voice in ChatGPT

OpenAI Criticized for Performance Issues Despite Early Demos

On top of Johansson's accusations, the company is now facing further scrutiny from its customers for touting huge improvements in its AI models only to delay weeks before the promised launch.

Many of the features OpenAI named in its X update were included in its GPT-4o video demonstration last month, showing that the features seem to be already operational.

One user even questioned the company for showcasing their future product if it "wasn't even close to being ready."

Others even threatened to end their subscription following repeated patterns of delays on OpenAI's newest products after receiving safety issue reports.