ChatGPT, OpenAI’s blockbuster generative AI application, has recently received a significant upgrade with the introduction of the new GPT-4o model unveiled at OpenAI’s “Spring Update” event. GPT-4o is a multi-modal model, advertised as able to use logic not just in the generation of text, but with audio inputs and outputs, and by receiving live video — all in real time. And while the reveal wasn’t a search engine as was rumored in the weeks leading up to the announcement, the GPT-4o-powered voice assistant mode demoed during the Spring Update was nothing to scoff at.

How to get GPT-4o with ChatGPT’s free tier

This is what it looks like to select GPT-4o with a paid account.
Credit: Mashable Screenshot / OpenAI

The exciting news for ChatGPT users is that the GPT-4o model is being made available to everyone, including those on the free tier — at least for generating text. To try and access GPT-4o, simply log into your ChatGPT account via a web browser. In the top left-hand corner, check the drop-down menu for the GPT-4o option, labeled as OpenAI’s “newest and most advanced model.”

For now, the rollout is progressing slowly in the browser version, and for desktop and mobile apps. Users may not yet see GPT-4o on iOS or Android, and the new Mac desktop app is still being released. OpenAI plans to make the desktop app more broadly available in the coming weeks, while a Windows version is expected later this year.

Although the voice and vision capabilities of GPT-4o seen in the personal assistant mode demo are not yet widely available, developers can access these capabilities through the API. However, while OpenAI intends to release the voice features to ChatGPT Plus subscribers soon, there’s no word on when — or if — that eye-popping assistant mode will be made available for free.

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