OpenAI has announced plans to replace GPT-4 with GPT-4o in ChatGPT by April 30, 2025, marking a significant development in the intensifying global AI competition. The company revealed this update in its latest release notes. This move is particularly noteworthy as the "o" in GPT-4o stands for "omni," highlighting its multimodal capabilities that seamlessly integrate text, visual, and audio inputs.
The GPT-4o model, launched in May 2024, delivers real-time responses, emotional voice interactions, and supports content generation in multiple languages (covering over 97% of global language speakers). Additionally, it shows enhanced performance in writing, coding, solving STEM problems, understanding instructions, tackling complex tasks, and engaging in natural conversations. Designed to be faster and more cost-effective than its predecessor, GPT-4 Turbo, GPT-4o represents a major advancement.
In terms of accessibility, the Microsoft-backed AI company has made GPT-4o available for free to all users, with higher usage limits for ChatGPT Plus subscribers. The model's capabilities are being rolled out gradually, starting with text and image features, followed by advanced functions like real-time translation and voice-to-voice interaction. Interestingly, alongside these technological advances, Sam Altman's company has introduced an option allowing enterprise clients to fine-tune GPT-4o using proprietary company data. This customization enables businesses to adapt the model to specific tasks or industries, enhancing its utility in customer service and specialized knowledge domains.
However, OpenAI’s major initiatives often come with controversy. Regarding GPT-4o, the company faced criticism in May 2024 for its "Sky" voice, which bore a striking resemblance to actress Scarlett Johansson's voice.
Johansson revealed that OpenAI had approached her to use her voice but she declined the offer. However, the company allegedly used a similar voice. Following public backlash, the ChatGPT maker disabled the "Sky" voice, stating that it was not an imitation of Johansson's voice but belonged to another professional actress.
It's worth noting that although OpenAI will discontinue GPT-4 in ChatGPT from April 30, developers and business users can still access it via API.
"GPT-4 represents a pivotal moment in ChatGPT's evolution. We appreciate the breakthroughs it brought and the feedback that helped shape its successor. Building on this foundation, GPT-4o offers greater capabilities, consistency, and creativity," OpenAI stated.
The timing of this latest move is significant as OpenAI's conflict with co-founder Elon Musk enters a new phase. The AI company filed a countersuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, accusing Musk of harassment and disruptive tactics. The company has asked the court to halt what it describes as ongoing illegal actions by Musk aimed at undermining its operations.
