OpenAI’s ChatGPT now has multilingual read out loud feature

OpenAI has announced that its ChatGPT program can now read aloud to its users. The function with the same name can recite the responses in one of five voice options. Read Aloud can be accessed through the web version of ChatGPT as well as the ChatGPT apps for iOS and Android.

ChatGPT can now read responses to you.

On iOS or Android, tap and hold the message and then tap “Read Aloud”. We’ve also started rolling on web – click the "Read Aloud" button below the message. pic.twitter.com/KevIkgAFbG

— OpenAI (@OpenAI) March 4, 2024

The new feature is available in 37 languages and can automatically detect the language of the text it is reading. So far, the option is available for GPT-4 and GPT-3.5 users.

OpenAI announced the feature in a post on X: “ChatGPT can now read responses to you. On iOS or Android, tap and hold the message and then tap “Read Aloud.” We’ve also started rolling on the web — click the “Read Aloud” button below the message.”

The company has been striving to enhance its multimodal capabilities, hence it introduced a voice chat feature in September 2023, which allows users to input prompts verbally without needing to type. However, this will allow people to have the chatbot responses read out aloud as well.

Users can press and hold the text to access the Read Aloud player on the mobile app, enabling them to play, pause, or rewind the narration. Meanwhile, the web version displays a speaker icon beneath the text.

The update comes as Anthropic launched its Claude 3 AI chatbot, which it claims has reached “near-human” levels in some tests. Many users took to X to respond to the announcement, saying it fell short of their expectations.

Yikes if this is your answer to Claude 3

— Wilson ???? (@Wilson00000009) March 4, 2024

Read aloud on other AI platforms

In July 2023, Google incorporated the same feature into its Gemini chatbot — formerly known as Bard —  adding the option for it to vocalize its responses aloud. It supported 40 new languages, including  Arabic, Chinese, German, Hindi, and Spanish. 

Microsoft Edge’s Read Aloud feature now works in its Windows 11 Copilot chatbot. The feature is in the testing phase and is now available for everyone.

Featured image: Canva / DALL-E

Suswati Basu

Freelance journalist

Suswati Basu is a multilingual, award-winning editor and the founder of the intersectional literature channel, How To Be Books. She was shortlisted for the Guardian Mary Stott Prize and longlisted for the Guardian International Development Journalism Award.

With 18 years of experience in the media industry, Suswati has held significant roles such as head of audience and deputy editor for NationalWorld news, digital editor for Channel 4 News and ITV News. She has also contributed to the Guardian and received training at the BBC As an audience, trends, and SEO specialist, she has participated in panel events alongside Google.

Her career also includes a seven-year tenure at the leading AI company Dataminr, where she led the Europe desk and launched the company's first employee resource group for disabilities. Before this, Suswati worked as a journalist in China for four years, investigating censorship and the Great Firewall, and acquired proficiency in several languages.

In recent years, Suswati has been nominated for six awards, including the Independent Podcast Awards, International Women's Podcast Awards, and the Anthem Awards for her literary social affairs show.

Her areas of speciality span a wide range, including technology, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), social politics, mental health, and nonfiction books.