Several major ChatGPT updates have been pushed out since its public launch. In a short span of two years since launch in November 2022 (this article was written in 2024), we’ve witnessed ChatGPT evolve from version 3.5 to 4.0, and most recently, to 4o and 4o Mini. This rapid progression highlights OpenAI’s commitment to enhancing the model’s capabilities and user experience.
How often is ChatGPT updated? Pretty often, we should say. According to the ChatGPT Release Notes published by OpenAI, both minor and major upgrades occur throughout the year. Let’s look at some of the most significant updates in this blog post.
Table Of Content
ChatGPT Plus
Since this upgrade, ChatGPT Plus has offered a subscription plan to provide faster response times and priority access. You might think, “So this is when ChatGPT started charging”. But this is a positively received upgrade that benefits professionals and those who need consistent performance, especially during high-demand periods.
Free versions, for example, the new ChatGPT 4o mini, remain available for users. However, these free versions of ChatGPT often experience slower response times during peak hours, and some advanced functionalities are exclusive to Plus subscribers.
This tiered access model ensures that all users have options that suit their needs and usage patterns.
GPT-4 Release
The release of GPT-4 was a significant milestone in AI development. Major improvements over its predecessors were seen in this upate. Among them, two stand out as the most visible to users:
(a) Improved Language Understanding and Generation
With this ChatGPT update, GPT-4 becomes capable of comprehending complex queries and providing detailed answers. Users would also notice interactions with ChatGPT become significantly more engaging and meaningful, thanks to its enhanced ability to deliver more nuanced and accurate responses.
(b) Multimodal Capabilities
Long-time ChatGPT users might recall when interactions with the model were purely text-based. And then starting from a certain version, ChatGPT gained the ability to process both text and images, adding a new layer of versatility. Things have become interesting since.
GPT-4 is the version where this capability was introduced, making ChatGPT more versatile. This feature allows it to handle a broader range of tasks, such as analyzing images alongside textual data. It further opens new possibilities for creative and practical applications for ChatGPT.
Plugins
Prior to this update, ChatGPT operated primarily as a standalone tool. Plugins were then introduced to allow third parties to extend its functionality. With plugins, advanced users or developers can integrate various tools and services into ChatGPT.
Plugins transform ChatGPT from a basic conversational AI into a more advanced assistant capable of performing specialized tasks. For example, users can now incorporate scheduling and data retrieval functions through plugins to streamline their workflow. This makes it especially useful for advanced users and developers.
Web Browsing Capability
One of the most complained about limitations of ChatGPT was that its responses were limited to the data it had been trained on, which could be outdated. The addition of web browsing capabilities addressed this issue to some extent, as it enabled ChatGPT to fetch the most current information from the Internet.
While the web browsing feature allows ChatGPT to access up-to-date information, ChatGPT doesn’t verify the accuracy of the content it retrieves from the web, nor does it cross-check the accuracy of its “regular” responses with online sources. Users should bear this in mind and independently verify ChatGPT’s responses.
Custom Instructions
Custom instructions allow users to tailor ChatGPT’s responses according to their preferences, providing an enhanced and more personalized interaction. This feature was rolled out in ChatGPT update on July 2023.
For example, a user could instruct ChatGPT to prioritize brief, to-the-point responses in professional contexts or to use a more casual tone in informal conversations. This added flexibility allows ChatGPT to better meet the specific requirements of each user.
Voice Capability
Earlier, we talked about how older versions of ChatGPT were all text-based. Then, the ability to process text and images was implemented to make it more interesting. And with the later update, ChatGPT has again stepped up its game by adding voice capabilities—yes, ChatGPT can now listen to its users and respond with voice.
The “official” benefit of the voice capability is that it allows hands-free interaction, making it more convenient for users to engage with ChatGPT while multitasking or when typing is impractical. But unofficially, users are having fun talking with ChatGPT as if talking with a long-lost friend. They are pleasantly surprised to discover what a good listener and skillful communicator ChatGPT is.
The voice capability adds a new dimension to how users can interact with ChatGPT.
DALL·E 3 Integration
This update was another game-changer.
Before the integration of DALL·E with ChatGPT, users wanting to generate images could only do so with separate AI tools specializing in image generation, such as Midjourney and Stable Diffusion. This often meant paying for another subscription and using tools that were sometimes less capable than ChatGPT in understanding prompts.
After the integration, users can create intricate visuals directly with ChatGPT for various applications, from creative projects to professional presentations.
The best thing is, they do not need to learn new prompting techniques. They can prompt ChatGPT to generate images the same way they request it to perform other tasks. Powerful!
GPT-4o Release
Every new GPT model marks a milestone in the evolution of ChatGPT. GPT-4o, the upgraded flagship model from OpenAI, is no exception. In fact, OpenAI described ChatGPT-4o as “much better than any existing model at understanding”.
The new model offers significant improvements in speed and intelligence over GPT-4. It enhances capabilities across text, voice, and vision, providing better image understanding and real-time voice interactions.
Here are some key improvements:
- Speed and Efficiency: Faster performance and quicker responses.
- Enhanced Image Understanding: Improved at interpreting and discussing images.
- Voice and Vision Capabilities: More natural, real-time voice interactions, with plans for the ability to interact via real-time video.
- Language Support: Now supports over 50 languages in various settings
- Accessibility: Advanced features are being rolled out with usage limits based on user tiers. Plus users get an upgrade in the message limit, which is up to 5x greater than free users.
GPT-4o Mini
OpenAI introduced GPT-4o Mini, a smaller, faster, and more affordable version of its popular GPT-4o model. With this introduction, the older ChatGPT-3.5 has become obsolete.
GPT-4o Mini maintains the core functionalities of GPT-4o but is designed to be more compact and efficient. For instance, like its “big brother,” GPT-4o, it can reason across text, voice, and images in real time. Compared to its predecessors, it also demonstrates strong performance for application developers, but we will not discuss this as it’s beyond the scope of this article.
What matters for regular users like us is, ChatGPT 4o Mini is free for use, as it replaced the previously free version, ChatGPT-3.5.
Kudos to OpenAI for their regular updates, each time amazing us with innovative features and opening our eyes to the potential of AI – and making ChatGPT a more flexible, well-rounded, and powerful tool.
These updates reflect ongoing advancements in AI technology. Whether we are professionals relying on ChatGPT for work or casual users exploring its capabilities to solve everyday problems, these updates have proven to improve our experience and productivity.
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