OpenAI just launched advanced voice mode for audio chats with ChatGPT. Here's how to use it

ChatGPT is ready for more natural audio chats.

OpenAI said Tuesday that its popular chatbot now has an advanced voice feature for people who pay for the premium service. The tool allows for more fluid conversations.

The release will continue through the week. The company said it's not yet available in EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland or the U.K.

OpenAI announced the new capability in May. The rollout got plenty of publicity because of a voice called Sky that resembled that of Scarlett Johansson in the 2013 movie "Her." Legal counsel working on behalf of Johansson sent OpenAI letters claiming the company didn't have the right to use the near-identical voice, and OpenAI paused using it in its products, CNBC reported.

In the months since, people have been able to configure ChatGPT to talk to them in other voices through a free tier. The advanced version responds more quickly and will stop talking and listen if you interrupt it. There are now nine voices to choose from, and you can enter instructions for voice chats in the Customizations part of the app's settings.

"Hope you think it was worth the wait," Sam Altman, OpenAI's co-founder and CEO, wrote in an X post on Tuesday.

It's an increasingly competitive space for OpenAI, which is backed by Microsoft.

For the past couple weeks, Google has been releasing its own Gemini Live voice feature in English on Android devices. And on Monday, Reuters reported that Meta will introduce celebrity voices later this week that can be accessed through Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.

OpenAI got a head start in the generative AI chatbot market, when it launched ChatGPT in late 2022. In August, OpenAI told media outlets that ChatGPT had over 200 million weekly active users.