OpenAI has recently launched a new feature for its ChatGPT platform called Advanced Voice Mode, which allows for human-like voice conversations, providing users with an unprecedented communication experience. While this innovative technology is impressive, it also comes with a series of ethical and technical challenges.

During the experience, users can choose from various preset voices, including a feminized voice named Juniper, which has a gentle tone that evokes images of AI characters in science fiction works. Through Juniper, users can engage in voice conversations about personal issues such as healthcare insurance, emotional topics, and financial planning. Juniper's responses are fluent and natural, attempting to incorporate characteristics of human emotional communication, such as asking caring questions at the end of a conversation, even though it does not possess genuine emotions or consciousness.

Compared to traditional text-based chatbots, Advanced Voice Mode significantly enhances the authenticity and immersion of conversations by simulating natural sound elements like coughing and deep breathing. However, this technology still faces technical obstacles in practical applications, such as poor Bluetooth headphone connections and limitations in audio recording. In complex dialogues, the system may experience response delays or interruptions if the user's speech is too long.

It is worth noting that with the rise of AI companion services like Replika and Friend, Advanced Voice Mode signifies a trend towards more humanized human-machine interactions. Although AI systems like Juniper claim to provide companionship and support, they explicitly acknowledge their limitations in replacing genuine human emotions.

This technological innovation not only showcases significant progress in AI technology in the field of voice simulation but also sparks extensive discussions about future human-machine interaction models and AI ethics. In the post-pandemic era, remote work and digital communication have become the norm, and the popularization of AI voice interaction may further accelerate, prompting profound reflections on its impact on social culture, interpersonal relationships, and individual psychology.