In a reply to a user question on the X platform, Open AI’s CEO, Sam Altman, said that the alpha rollout of ChatGPT’s long-awaited ‘Voice Mode’ starts for Plus subscribers next week.

What Is Voice Mode? 

As the name of the feature suggests, ChatGPT’s ‘Voice Mode’ allows users to interact with the AI by simply using spoken language instead of typing. To do this, it uses advanced speech recognition technology which can convert spoken input into text, and it employs text-to-speech (TTS) technology to vocalise responses. Voice Mode should enhance accessibility for users who prefer verbal communication or have difficulty typing, thereby making it a convenient option. To use Voice Mode, a device with a microphone and speaker is required, and specific commands or settings may be needed to activate and customise the experience.

Competiton and Ready For Apple Integration 

With Voice Mode, OpenAI hopes to make interactions with ChatGPT more natural and user-friendly. It also needs Voice Mode to compete with Google Gemini’s voice feature, and to make ChatGPT ready for use when integrated with Apple devices and systems, as announced at this year’s WWDC.

What’s Been The Hold-Up? 

Originally planned for late June, the rollout to OpenAI’s Alpha users (a select group of people who provide testing and feedback), was put back another month to improve the “model’s ability to detect and refuse certain content”. The feature has been awaited with great anticipation by many regular ChatGPT users and has been the subject of frequent questions on social media. It now seems likely that further delays (for testing) may be possible, despite Sam Altman’s announcement that Plus subscribers will be getting Voice Mode in a week.

Omni and Wisper 

Voice Mode’s rollout also had to await the rollout of GPT-4o (“o” for “omni”), OpenAI’s newest model, which has been described as “a step towards much more natural human-computer interaction”. Omni accepts as input any combination of text, audio, image, and video and generates any combination of text, audio, and image outputs and can respond to audio inputs with response times that are close to those in human conversations – hence Omni’s importance for Voice Mode to operate well. In addition to Omni, Voice Mode will utilise a “neural net” called ‘Whisper’ that OpenAI says “approaches human level robustness and accuracy on English speech recognition”.

What’s So Special About ChatGPT’s Voice Mode? 

Essentially, Voice Mode’s advantages are that it can enable “real-time, natural conversations with AI” and (as mentioned above) delivers text, audio, and image outputs. It can also talk in character voices, engage in interviews roleplay, and even help users to learn new languages.

Business Uses 

The potential business uses for Voice Mode are many and could include automating customer support, enhancing virtual assistant functionalities for employees, creating interactive marketing campaigns, facilitating training, and onboarding processes, and improving accessibility for users with disabilities.

What Does This Mean For Your Business? 

The long (and still awaited) introduction of ChatGPT’s Voice Mode represents a significant advancement for businesses, offering a new dimension of interaction with AI that could transform various operational aspects. For example, using it for customer support, Voice Mode could automate responses to customer enquiries, providing quick, accurate assistance and freeing up human resources for more complex issues. This could lead to enhanced customer satisfaction (and loyalty).

In internal operations, integrating ChatGPT as a virtual assistant could help streamline tasks for employees, improving productivity and efficiency by handling scheduling, reminders, and information retrieval through simple voice commands. The ability to create interactive marketing campaigns with voice interactions could also open up innovative ways to engage customers, offering personalised experiences and product recommendations that could boost conversion rates. Training and onboarding processes could also benefit, e.g. with Voice Mode providing interactive, voice-guided instructions that make learning more intuitive and effective for new employees. Also, Voice Mode’s advanced speech recognition and text-to-speech capabilities could (as mentioned above) improve accessibility, making digital interactions easier for individuals with disabilities and those who prefer verbal communication over typing. This inclusivity could enhance user experience and expand the reach of your business’s services and products.

For OpenAI, the rollout of Voice Mode (hopefully soon) will be a major milestone that strengthens its position in the AI market. By enhancing ChatGPT with natural, real-time voice interactions, OpenAI can demonstrate its commitment to advancing AI capabilities and user experience. This feature sets ChatGPT apart from competitors (e.g. Google), showcasing the versatility and potential of OpenAI’s technology.

The impending integration with Apple devices will further solidify OpenAI’s reach and influence, making its AI tools more accessible and embedded in everyday technology. The introduction of ChatGPT’s Voice Mode, therefore, raises the competitive stakes in the AI industry. Competitors like Google, with its Gemini voice feature, will need to innovate rapidly to keep pace. The ability of ChatGPT to offer multimodal interactions, combining text, audio, and image, positions it as a more comprehensive and flexible tool compared to other AI systems. This puts pressure on competitors to enhance their offerings and develop similar or superior capabilities to maintain their market positions.

In essence, integrating ChatGPT’s Voice Mode into your business operations could lead to greater efficiency, enhanced customer engagement, and improved accessibility, helping to position your company at the forefront of technological innovation and customer service excellence. For OpenAI, it marks a significant achievement and competitive advantage, while for competitors, it signifies a challenging new benchmark.

Apple has released the iOS 18.1 developer beta for iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 which initially gives users a taste of a limited number of Apple Intelligence features. Apple Intelligence is the company’s suite of machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies (as announced WWDC24 in June) designed to enhance user experience on their devices.

The first wave of features to try is reported to include writing tools (proofread text, rewrite, and text summarising), Siri with and updated design, new Mail features (e.g., a summarise button for incoming emails), natural language search in Photos, audio transcripts, phone call recording, and more.

Although a limited number of Apple Intelligence features in this beta version, it’s been reported that other (beta) features will roll out later this year.

A Threat Landscape report from cyber security company Imperva has revealed that the number of Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks more than doubled globally last year, with the upward trend continuing in the first half of this year.

DDoS attacks overwhelm a target system with excessive traffic from multiple sources (multiple compromised systems, often infected with malware), causing it to slow down or crash, thereby denying service to legitimate users.

Imperva’s report attributes the increase in this type of attack to factors like geopolitical tensions, e.g. attacks on Ukraine are up by 519 per cent and attacks on Israel are up by 118 per cent. The report identifies the most attacked industries as being financial services, telecoms, and ISPs, which collectively account for around 60 per cent of all Layer 7 (flooding a website with fake traffic) DDoS attacks.

The advice to businesses looking to protect themselves from DDoS attacks is to implement robust security measures, such as using DDoS protection services, monitoring traffic, and having an incident response plan.

UK startup ‘The Tyre Collective’ has developed a tyre-dust magnet to attach to electric vehicles (EVs) to tackle the often-overlooked problem of tyre-dust microplastic pollution.

The Problem – The Dangers Of Tyre-Wear 

As explained by The Tyre Collective, “Tyre-wear is the second-largest source of microplastics in our oceans, toxic to marine life, and air particulate pollution”. The ‘tyre-wear’ it refers to are the particles of tyre dust, caused by friction on the road, that break off and are released every time a vehicle accelerates, brakes or corners. These tiny microplastic particles are both dangerous to health if breathed in, plus they pollute the environment.

Another interesting aspect of the problem is that EVs produce more trye-wear than regular vehicles because of their higher weight from heavy battery packs and instant torque, which increases stress on the tyres.

The Tyre Magnet 

The tyre-dust magnet, the first such device designed to capture tyre pollution, is a toaster-size device with a series of metal plates, that attaches to the undercarriage of a vehicle, behind the wheels. As the car drives, tyre dust from road friction is released as charged particles. The device uses electrostatics and airflow to attract and capture these particles, thereby removing the tyre-wear pollution at source.

How Effective Is It? 

As the Tyre Collective points out, the issue of tyre-wear particle pollution has been an overlooked area until now but “transport will never reach zero emissions, without capturing tyre-wear”.   

In terms of how effective the tyre magnet device is, The Tyre Collective says its technology can attract up to 60 per cent of a car’s tyre particles.

Upcycling 

One other advantage of the tyre magnet device is that the collected tyre-wear particles can be upcycled into a variety of applications creating a closed-loop system. Examples of where the upcycled trye particles can be used (industrial and consumer applications) include making bitumen, 3D-printing, shoe soles, and making high-performance activewear.

Which Vehicles? 

The Tyre Collective says it’s initially targeting logistic fleets, i.e. delivery and maintenance vans then moving onto buses and HGVs. Long term, the company aims to scale its devices across all vehicle segments and integrate them into new EVs globally.

Trials 

The tyre magnet was trialed last year on American EV manufacturer Rivian’s fully electric commercial vans. Other trials of the device have been with companies like CEVT & Volvo Cars, PostNL and BMW Financial Services.

There’s also another trial in the pipeline with a fleet of electric delivery vans owned by London-based startup HIVED.

What Does This Mean For Your Organisation? 

For businesses in the logistics and delivery sector, including those operating maintenance vans, the introduction of The Tyre Collective’s tyre-dust magnet offers an opportunity to reduce their environmental footprint. By integrating these devices into their fleets, companies could significantly cut down on tyre-wear pollution, contributing to cleaner air and a healthier environment. Additionally, this proactive approach may enhance the corporate image and attract environmentally conscious clients, while potentially lowering maintenance costs in the long run through reduced tyre-wear.

For buses and heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), the benefits may be similarly substantial. These vehicles, often covering extensive miles and operating in urban areas, contribute significantly to microplastic pollution. By adopting the tyre-dust magnet technology, operators could play a crucial role in mitigating urban pollution, improving public health, and setting a precedent for sustainable transport. This could also align with increasingly stringent environmental regulations, potentially avoiding future compliance costs and penalties.

EV manufacturers stand to gain immensely from this kind of innovation. Integrating tyre-dust magnets into new EV models could, for example, enhance their appeal by addressing a significant environmental concern. As consumers become more eco-conscious, showcasing a commitment to reducing all forms of pollution, including tyre-wear, could provide a competitive edge. This integration also aligns with the broader industry goal of achieving zero emissions, reinforcing the sustainable image of EVs.

For The Tyre Collective, the successful deployment of their tyre-dust magnet represents a milestone in their mission to combat microplastic pollution. As their technology gains traction, they appear likely to establish themselves as leaders in environmental innovation in an overlooked area, opening doors for further research and development. The ability to upcycle collected tyre particles into new products will also create additional revenue streams and support a circular economy.

Residents in high-traffic areas could experience a direct positive impact from the widespread adoption of this technology. Reduced tyre-wear particles will mean cleaner air and a lower risk of respiratory issues associated with microplastic pollution. This improvement in air quality could lead to enhanced public health outcomes and a better quality of life for these communities.

From an environmental perspective, widespread implementation of tyre-dust magnets could lead to a significant reduction in microplastic pollution, benefiting marine and terrestrial ecosystems alike. This reduction is crucial for preserving biodiversity and ensuring the health of various species affected by microplastic ingestion.

Society as a whole also stands to benefit from cleaner air and a healthier environment. The reduced environmental impact of tyre-wear aligns with global sustainability goals and helps combat climate change. The positive ripple effects of this technology could, therefore, lead to greater public awareness and support for environmental initiatives, fostering a culture of sustainability.

The Tyre Collective’s innovative tyre dust magnet, therefore, could be a game-changer for multiple sectors and by effectively addressing this often-overlooked issue, it could provide a pathway to cleaner transport, healthier communities, and a more sustainable future.

Here’s a quick explainer that shows you how to update (and help optimise) your LinkedIn Profile Headline …

Rather than manually highlighting and deleting blocks of text, Microsoft Word lets you quickly select words and entire paragraphs using simple mouse clicks. This can really help to save time and increase your efficiency when editing documents. Here’s how it works:

Double click to highlight individual words

Simply double-click on any word to highlight it. This action will select the entire word, allowing you to quickly apply changes such as bolding, italicising, or copying the word.

Triple click to highlight whole paragraphs

In Microsoft Word, triple-clicking on any word within a paragraph will highlight the entire paragraph. This feature makes it easy to move, format, or delete large blocks of text without the hassle of dragging your mouse from start to end.