Talking to ChatGPT for the first time is a surreal experience ...
As the new voice interface to ChatGPT rolls out in the USA, experience reports are starting to come in. One such report is from Ars Technica. Even in a short introductory chat, the natural cadence and delivery of ChatGPT's "savvy and relaxed" Sol voice have left a strong impression. It almost feels human, reminiscent of '90s Janeane Garofalo.
ChatGPT's quick responses delivered in milliseconds, along with its convincing intonation, can easily make you believe you are conversing with a conscious being. However, ChatGPT clarifies that it is still just a computer program processing information, devoid of real emotions or consciousness.
Despite the level of self-awareness of this information-processing engine, it's foreseeable that people might develop intense, parasocial relationships with the smooth voices on the other end of OpenAI's servers. This marks the beginning of a new era in our interaction with AI, even if the language model generates the same words as previous text-based ChatGPT models.
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