OpenAI is rolling out its Advanced Voice to all Plus and Team users in the ChatGPT app this week.
“While you’ve been patiently waiting, we’ve added Custom Instructions, Memory, five new voices, and improved accents,” the company said in a Tuesday (Sept. 24) post on X.
The feature is not yet available in the European Union, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein, OpenAI added in another post.
Users can now choose from nine “lifelike output voices” for ChatGPT, with different tones and characters like “easygoing and versatile” and “animated and earnest,” according to the company’s Voice mode FAQ.
It was reported July 30 that OpenAI was rolling out the alpha version of Advanced Voice Mode to a select group of ChatGPT Plus subscribers at that time and planned to begin a broader rollout to all premium users in the fall.
To mitigate potential misuse of the feature, the company said at the time that it limited Advanced Voice Mode to preset voices created in collaboration with paid voice actors, so that it can’t be used to impersonate specific individuals or public figures; implemented guardrails to block requests for violent or copyrighted content; and included filters to block requests for generating music or copyrighted audio, a move likely influenced by music industry legal actions against artificial intelligence (AI) companies.
OpenAI had planned to roll the voice feature out in alpha in late June but said June 25 that it needed another month to do so.
“For example, we’re improving the model’s ability to detect and refuse certain content,” the company said at the time. “We’re also working on improving the user experience and preparing our infrastructure to scale to millions while maintaining real-time responses.”
Many U.S. consumers are willing to pay for smart, reliable voice assistants, according to the PYMNTS Intelligence report, “How Consumers Want to Live in the Voice Economy.”
Twenty-two percent of Gen Z consumers are “highly willing” to pay more than $10 per month for a voice assistant that is as smart and reliable as a real person, per the report.
The report also found that 54% of consumers would prefer using voice technology because it is faster than typing or using a touchscreen.
We get a lot of press releases here at PYMNTS. We consider all of them, and some are more newsworthy than others. But this one really got our attention. This past week, Diebold Nixdorf made headlines with its announcement of successfully installing two new automated teller machines (ATMs) at the U.S. National Science Foundation’s McMurdo Station in Antarctica. This achievement marks a significant milestone in banking accessibility, to be sure. We would like to meet the crew that installed them. We’d also like to know why they needed two. Was there a line at the first one? More to come on that.
According to Diebold, McMurdo Station is Antarctica’s largest research and logistics hub, supporting a fluctuating population that ranges from fewer than 200 residents during the winter months to up to 1,100 individuals during the summer (October through February). The presence of these ATMs is crucial, it says, as the next closest banking facilities are thousands of miles away, making them the only ATMs on the entire continent. How’s that for a value proposition?
The DN Series ATMs are designed for always-on availability. And why do they need two? One ATM is actively in use, while the second serves as a backup for spare parts, ensuring uninterrupted service in this isolated area. These machines are connected to the DN AllConnect Data Engine, which leverages Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity, machine learning, and artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor their performance. A dedicated team continuously aggregates and analyzes technical data to identify potential issues, enabling remote diagnostics and repairs. The ATM can be maintained by trained staff at NSF McMurdo Station, or the Diebold Nixdorf service team can remotely guide them through the repair process.
Anyway, it got us thinking. Are there other surprising ATMs in extreme locations? Well, of course, there are. Here’s a sampling of what we found.
At an altitude of about 5,364 meters (17,600 feet), the Mount Everest Base Camp in Nepal is another unexpected place to find an ATM. Although it’s not a permanent fixture and is often set up seasonally, it caters to climbers and trekkers who need cash for local transactions. This temporary ATM service underscores the adaptability of banking services in extreme environments.
In some parts of the Amazon rainforest, particularly in Brazil and Peru, ATMs can be found in small villages and towns. These machines are vital for local communities, providing access to cash in areas where digital payment options might be limited. The presence of ATMs here demonstrates how banking services can reach even the most remote communities.
Located in the Tibet Autonomous Region, Nagqu is home to one of the highest ATMs in the world. This region is very remote, with limited infrastructure, making the presence of an ATM a notable example of banking accessibility in extreme environments.
In the Thousand Islands (Kepulauan Seribu) off the coast of Jakarta, Indonesia, there’s a floating ATM. This unique ATM serves the local community and tourists on the islands, demonstrating how banking services can adapt to isolated marine environments.
Longyearbyen, the administrative center of the Svalbard archipelago in Norway, boasts the most northerly ATM. This location is one of the most remote inhabited places on Earth, with limited access to mainland Norway, making the ATM a vital service for residents and visitors.
On a more serious note, the installation of ATMs in places like Antarctica and other remote locations highlights the evolving nature of banking technology. With advancements in IoT, AI and remote diagnostics, it’s becoming increasingly feasible to provide banking services in areas previously considered inaccessible. As we look to the future, it will be interesting to see where else ATMs might appear. Whether it’s on a remote island, at the top of a mountain or even in space, the ability to access cash is becoming more universal than ever. And who knows? Maybe one day, we’ll see an ATM on Mars, serving the first interplanetary travelers.
For now, the presence of ATMs in unexpected places reminds us that banking is not just about transactions; it’s about connecting people and communities across the globe, no matter how remote they might be.
