OpenAI launches revolutionary GPT-4o for free, CEO Sam Altman feels like ‘AI from movies’

OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, highlighted significant elements in the latest version of ChatGPT launched on May 13, underscoring a major leap in AI accessibility for free and interface innovation.

Altman shared his insights on his blog following the launch of the latest version of ChatGPT. GPT-4o is an advanced version of the AI technology powering the widely used generative tool, ChatGPT. To be freely available to all users as OpenAI rolls it out globally, GPT-4o boasts improved performance and efficiency. OpenAI rolled out GPT-4o’s text and image functionalities to some paying ChatGPT Plus users and will offer those capabilities to enterprise users soon.

This launch comes just a day before Google's I/O 2024 summit. At the San Francisco event, Mira Murati, OpenAI's Chief Technology Officer, shared her excitement: “We're very, very excited to bring GPT-4o to all of our free users out there.”

Firstly, Altman expressed pride in achieving a core part of OpenAI's mission: providing highly capable AI tools to the public for free. "We’ve made the best model in the world available for free in ChatGPT, without ads or anything like that," he wrote. This initiative aligns with the foundational vision of OpenAI, which shifted from using AI to directly create benefits for the world to enabling others to innovate and derive diverse benefits through their use of OpenAI's technology.

While OpenAI operates as a business and plans to introduce paid features, Altman emphasised the ongoing commitment to delivering exceptional AI services at no cost to potentially billions of users.

Secondly, Altman raved about the new voice and video mode integrated into ChatGPT, describing it as the best computer interface he has ever used, akin to AI seen in movies. This new feature marks a significant evolution, offering human-level response times and a more natural, expressive interaction style. "It feels like AI from the movies, and it’s still a bit surprising to me that it’s real," he remarked.

The improvements made in this version of ChatGPT not only enhance the user experience by making conversations with the computer feel more natural and engaging but also pave the way for future enhancements like personalised interactions, access to user-specific information, and more proactive functionalities.

The move by OpenAI strengthens its position in the competitive landscape of AI development. It sets a new standard for user-friendly, accessible AI technologies that could reshape how we interact with digital tools in our everyday lives.