OpenAI announces launch of GPT-4o — and it’s free

Hello GPT-4o

On May 13, OpenAI announced the launch of GPT-4o (“o” for “omni”), the latest update to its advanced artificial intelligence model that powers ChatGPT.

Key Highlights:

  • GPT-4o Launched: Processes voice, text, and vision with enhanced efficiency.
  • Free Access: Available to all users, with paid users getting higher capacity limits.
  • Performance: Twice as fast and half the cost of GPT-4 Turbo.
  • Multilingual Support: Optimized for over 50 languages, including significant improvements for Indian languages.
  • Real-time Response: Responds to audio inputs in milliseconds.
  • New Desktop App: Launching for macOS, with Windows to follow.

“GPT-4o processes voice, text, and vision with exceptional efficiency, allowing us to extend its intelligence to our free users. This achievement has been a long-standing goal,” stated Mira Murati, CEO and Chief Technology Officer, at the OpenAI Spring Update event.

GPT-4o will be available for free to all users, while paid users will enjoy up to five times the capacity limits of free users. Murati emphasized that GPT-4o is twice as fast and half the cost of GPT-4 Turbo.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman also confirmed the model’s availability to all ChatGPT users, including those on the free plan, in a post on X (formerly Twitter). “Previously, GPT-4 class models were only available via subscription. Making these tools accessible to everyone is crucial to our mission,” he added.

GPT-4o Availability

GPT-4o will be rolled out gradually and will support over 50 languages, including several Indian languages. OpenAI has optimized token usage for these languages, achieving reductions of 4.4x for Gujarati, 3.5x for Telugu, 3.3x for Tamil, and 2.9x for both Marathi and Hindi.

The company demonstrated the model’s real-time conversational capabilities, highlighting its ability to respond to audio inputs in as little as 232 milliseconds, with an average response time of 320 milliseconds, comparable to human conversation.

GPT-4o matches GPT-4 Turbo’s performance in text, reasoning, and coding intelligence while excelling in multilingual, audio, and visual tasks.

Also read | OpenAI to Launch ChatGPT-Powered Search Engine to Rival Google

Additionally, OpenAI announced the release of a new desktop version of ChatGPT with a refreshed UI. The macOS version is launching first, with a Windows version planned for later this year. Murati noted, “We aim to simplify user interaction, making it natural and effortless, focusing on collaboration with GPTs rather than the interface itself.”

These announcements precede the highly anticipated Google I/O 2024 keynote, where Google is expected to showcase its latest AI innovations.

OpenAI’s announcements come just a day before the highly anticipated Google I/O 2024 keynote, where the search giant is likely to unveil its latest AI products and innovations.