OpenAI set to demo ‘Her,’ a virtual voice assistant with visual capabilities

After several days of rumors and speculation, OpenAI is set to demo new features and updates to ChatGPT and GPT-4 today that include a new product called ‘Her,’ a virtual assistant with audio and visual capabilities.

Citing insider sources, The Information reported that OpenAI’s demo will include a highly responsive AI similar to the virtual assistant in the Spike Jonze movie “Her” to enable existing voice assistants like Apple’s Siri to be more effective and user-friendly.

“The technology is another step in OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s quest to ultimately develop a highly responsive AI akin to the virtual assistant in the Spike Jonze film “Her,” and to enable existing voice assistants like Apple’s Siri to be more useful. The company could preview the upgraded AI publicly at an event as soon as Monday, which would help it get ahead of a slew of AI announcements from its rival Google later in the week, one of the people said,” The Information reported.

Contrary to multiple media outlets reports last week, it turned out that OpenAI is not launching a new AI-powered search product. In a post on X, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman shot down the rumors of a new search engine competitor and GPT-5, but revealed the new product is something that ‘feels like magic.’

“Not gpt-5, not a search engine, but we’ve been hard at work on some new stuff we think people will love! feels like magic to me. monday 10am PT,” Altman said.

not gpt-5, not a search engine, but we’ve been hard at work on some new stuff we think people will love! feels like magic to me.

monday 10am PT. https://t.co/nqftf6lRL1

— Sam Altman (@sama) May 10, 2024

There are also rumors about the possibility of users making phone calls right within ChatGPT. Word on the street is that Apple and OpenAI are getting cozy, with rumors swirling about ChatGPT making its way into iOS 18.

Why it’s worth noting: OpenAI’s usual mysterious hints have got everyone buzzing with excitement and speculation. While the much-anticipated “Google Killer” search engine from OpenAI might still be on hold, there’s a chance we could be in for something even more groundbreaking.

You can watch the live stream here. The demo kicks off at 10 AM Pacific Ttime.