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I tested ChatGPT’s Live Voice upgrade, and it almost felt human – how to try it


ChatGPT Live voice conversation and web search

Lance Whitney/ZDNET

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ZDNET’s key takeaways

  • ChatGPT’s Live model aims to enhance voice-based conversations with AI.
  • With Live, ChatGPT can speak and listen to you at the same time.
  • ChatGPT can now speak with you almost as if it were a real person.

I like having voice conversations with my favorite AIs. Chatting by voice feels more convenient and more engaging than interacting via regular text prompts. But depending on the model, the conversation can still feel stilted.

In voice mode, most AIs can tackle only one task at a time — either speaking to you or listening to you. Try to pause or interrupt, and the conversation can go off the rails. Now, OpenAI has unveiled new voice models for ChatGPT that promise to turn the AI into a more natural and accomplished conversationalist.

Also: AI Model Release Tracker: OpenAI’s new GPT-Live-1 voice model won’t interrupt you

Added on Wednesday to the ChatGPT website, the Windows app, and the mobile apps, the new GPT-Live uses a “full-duplex architecture.” That simply means it can both speak to you and listen to you at the same time. While you’re talking, the AI model shows that it’s paying attention by sneaking in phrases like “Yeah” or “Mhmm.” Depending on the flow of the conversation, GPT-Live can keep up with you in quick back-and-forth banter or stay silent while it gives you time to collect your thoughts.

(Disclosure: Ziff Davis, ZDNET’s parent company, filed an April 2025 lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)

While the two of you are chatting away, you can ask ChatGPT to conduct research or carry out a request. The online search is handed off to another model behind the scenes, so the AI can focus on your conversation without interruption. That reminds me of myself when I’m speaking with a friend or relative on the phone who needs technical help, and I’m searching for the topic on the web, all at the same time.

The new full-duplex conversational model is available for all ChatGPT users. However, there are two different models depending on whether you’re a paid subscriber or a free user. GPT‑Live‑1 is the default model for ChatGPT Voice for Go, Plus, and Pro users. GPT‑Live‑1 mini is the default for free users. Between the two, GPT‑Live‑1 offers higher quality, while the mini model uses fewer resources.

Want to take it for a spin?

You can try Live Voice on the ChatGPT website, the ChatGPT Windows app, and the iOS and Android mobile apps. The ChatGPT Mac app no longer supports Voice mode, so Mac users will have to turn to the website.

The new Live model should automatically be accessible. To check at the site or one of the apps, go to Settings and select Voice. The model should show Live as the new default. Select the drop-down menu, and you can always go back to Advanced or Standard, but I recommend keeping it at Live.

Also: How to audit what ChatGPT knows about you – and reclaim your data privacy

Another option called Intelligence determines the level of reasoning ChatGPT uses in your voice chats. As the default, Instant is fine for general chats and quick replies. Medium digs deeper into your question or request and takes longer to respond. High is for more complex problem solving and takes the longest to finish. You’ll want to keep it set at Instant for the most part unless you’re conducting complex research.

You can also change the voice based on gender, accent, and other attributes. Since I love anything British, my favorite is Vale with her friendly yet bright British accent.

To kick off a voice conversation, select the voice icon to the right of the prompt. After you’re done, ChatGPT displays a transcription of your entire chat.

Though GPT-Live is technically a smaller upgrade than a brand-new general model, it still promises to enhance the experience of speaking with AI assistants. Does it live up to that promise? Here’s what I found.

Search the web during a conversation

In one conversation, I told ChatGPT that I couldn’t find a way to change the aspect ratio in the Camera app on an iPad mini. At first, the AI gave me instructions that worked only on an iPhone. I interrupted it to explain that the suggested steps apply to an iPhone but don’t seem to work on an iPad mini. In response, ChatGPT searched the web during our conversation to confirm that the iPad mini doesn’t let you change the ratio in the camera app.

Also: I connected ChatGPT to my bank, and it’s my go-to finance app now – here’s how (and why)

The AI then gave me instructions for changing the ratio in the Photos app. Again, I interrupted and asked it to find third-party camera apps for the iPad that would let me change the ratio before taking a photo. ChatGPT searched the web while it resumed our conversation about changing this in the Photos app. I then asked it to tell me about the third-party apps it found. Throughout the conversation, ChatGPT handled all interruptions and requests while remaining focused on our chat.

Change up a story

In another conversation, I asked it to tell me a story about my cat, Mr. Giggles, traveling to the moon and landing there. During the chat, I interrupted it a few times, telling it to slow down, speed up, and even change the story so that Mr. Giggles lands on Mars instead. Each time, the AI easily let me interrupt it and adjusted the story based on my request.

Veer off in different directions

In another conversation, I told ChatGPT I wanted to discuss classic Hollywood films of the ’30s, ’40s, and ’50s. After the conversation kicked off, the AI mentioned screwball comedies of the ’30s, noir films of the ’40s, and Technicolor musicals of the ’50s and asked me which mood struck me. After I suggested screwball comedies, the conversation veered off in that direction. Along the way, ChatGPT suggested several films in that genre. We explored one particular film that I’ve seen but don’t enjoy as much as others. We explored why that could be, and the AI came up with a great explanation. Beyond just taking the chat in different directions, I thoroughly enjoyed the conversation — it felt like talking to a fellow film lover.

Translate a conversation

Finally, I asked ChatGPT to translate a live conversation, specifically one between me speaking English and someone else speaking French. The back-and-forth live translations were quick and fluid, fitting right into the conversation. The next time I need a translator when I’m in another country, I’ll definitely give ChatGPT the job.

Also: How to use ChatGPT: A beginner’s guide to mastering OpenAI’s chatbot 

Any problems?

What happens if the TV is on in the background or other people are speaking near you? Could that interrupt your conversation? Two ZDNET editors who tried GPT Live said that their conversations were interrupted by background audio and by another person speaking, forcing them to tell the AI to continue the chat.

I tried to replicate that problem but I couldn’t. Even with loud TV dialogue playing and someone speaking in the background, none of my conversations were ever interrupted. If you do run into this dilemma, there’s not much you can do other than turn down the background audio or try to shush the other person speaking.

Final thoughts

Otherwise, I was quite impressed with ChatGPT’s new Live modes and enjoyed speaking with the AI without the usual impediments. The conversations certainly flowed and felt almost like speaking with a real person. From now on, I’ll choose ChatGPT when I want to strike up a conversation with an AI.





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Recent Reviews

How to use Excel date functions to automate project timelines


Microsoft Excel handles temporal data effectively if you know which formulas to use. The problem is that Excel includes over 20 date and time functions, but most people only ever need a small core set to build powerful, self-updating workflows. These essential date functions turn messy timelines into automated systems you can actually rely on.

All examples in this guide use an Excel table (Ctrl+T) named ProjectTracker (pictured below). To follow along, download a free copy of the Excel workbook containing this table. After you click the link, you’ll find the download button in the top-right corner of your screen.

A structured Excel tracking table containing project tasks, start dates, and due dates.

Excel views your calendar as a massive string of numbers

The secret logic behind spreadsheet dates

Excel stores dates as serial numbers—starting at January 1, 1900—and displays them using date formats. For example, June 1, 2026 is stored internally as 46174. This allows you to perform arithmetic on dates, such as adding 7 to move forward one week.

Excel intentionally treats 1900 as a leap year for compatibility with older spreadsheet systems. This is not historically accurate, but it rarely affects modern workflows unless you’re working with very old date ranges.

Keep your timelines moving with real-time tracking

Creating a live project countdown with TODAY

If you currently update a “Today” cell manually each morning to keep deadlines accurate, Excel can replace that workflow with a dynamic function that always returns the current date.

To create a live countdown that updates automatically as time passes, add a new column with the following name, formula, and formatting:

Column Name

Days Remaining

Formula

=[@[Due Date]]-TODAY()

Number Format

General

When you press Enter, Excel may automatically format the result as a date instead of a number. That’s why you must select the table column and set the format to General in the Number group of the Home tab.

Each task displays the number of days remaining until its due date, with negative values indicating tasks that are already overdue.

The next time you open the workbook, the calculations will refresh and automatically update based on the new day.

Isolate specific time frames by breaking dates into pieces

Structuring reports with MONTH, YEAR, and WEEKDAY

When working with project schedules, full date values like 2026-07-24 are often too detailed for analysis. You may need to group tasks by month, summarize yearly progress, or identify scheduling issues like weekend start dates.

To extract the month, delete the Days Remaining column, then add a new one with these parameters:

Column Name

Month Due

Formula

=MONTH([@[Due Date]])

Number Format

General

Each task returns a numeric month value, such as 6 for June or 7 for July, making it easier to filter and group tasks by month.

To isolate the year for reporting across longer timelines, simply replace MONTH in the formula above with YEAR:

Column Name

Year Due

Formula

=YEAR([@[Due Date]])

Number Format

General
The numeric year component is successfully calculated for every row in the tracking table in Excel.

To identify scheduling issues, such as tasks that begin on weekends, you need a different approach because weekdays are not stored as simple calendar parts like month or year. Instead, Excel assigns each weekday a numeric position based on a selected system.

Here’s what to do in a new column:

Column Name

Weekday Due

Formula

=WEEKDAY([@[Start Date]], 2)

Number Format

General

With the 2 argument, Excel treats Monday as day 1 and Sunday as day 7. Without this argument, Excel uses its default system where Sunday is treated as day 1 and Saturday as day 7.

Each task now returns a number from 1 to 7, where values 6 and 7 correspond to Saturday and Sunday, making weekend starts easy to identify.

The numeric weekday component is successfully calculated for every row in the tracking table in Excel.

OS

Windows, macOS, iPhone, iPad, Android

Free trial

1 month

Microsoft 365 includes access to Office apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint on up to five devices, 1 TB of OneDrive storage, and more.


Calculate exact working durations without the weekend clutter

Using NETWORKDAYS to measure real work time

Calendar-based durations often overstate actual work time. A task running from Friday to Monday appears to take four days, even though only two are working days.

So, to calculate true working days between project milestones, add this column:

Column Name

Working Days

Formula

=NETWORKDAYS([@[Start Date]], [@[Due Date]])

Number Format

General

Excel returns the total number of working days between the start and due dates, counting both endpoints when they fall on working days.

To include holidays, create a separate range containing vacation dates (for example, starting in cell F2). Then, select the first Working Days formula cell, and extend the formula to:

=NETWORKDAYS([@[Start Date]], [@[Due Date]], $F$2:$F$5)

Using absolute references ($) ensures the holiday range does not shift when the formula is filled down the table.

When you press Enter, you’ll see that the calculation now excludes both weekends and holidays.

If your workweek is non-standard, use NETWORKDAYS.INTL to define custom weekend rules.

Map future deadlines and end-of-month cutoffs

Using WORKDAY and EOMONTH for automated scheduling

Beyond tracking existing timelines, Excel can generate future dates based on rules such as working durations and billing cycles.

To calculate a projected completion date based on working days, remove the Due Date column, then add these two columns.

Column 1:

Column Name

Expected Duration

Values

Manually enter the number of working days.

Number Format

General

Column 2:

Column Name

Projected Finish

Formula

=WORKDAY([@[Start Date]], [@[Expected Duration]])

Number Format

Date

Excel returns a date representing the expected completion based on the specified number of working days. It automatically skips weekends and returns the next valid working date.

To calculate billing cutoffs that always land on month-end, use this workflow:

Column Name

Billing Cutoff

Formula

=EOMONTH([@[Start Date]], 0)

Number Format

Date

Excel returns the last day of the month for each task, making billing cycles consistent.

Planning ahead with month-based review dates

Shifting dates across months with EDATE

Not all scheduling problems are about counting days. In real project work, you often work in monthly cycles—such as scheduled reviews, audits, or check-ins that repeat at predictable intervals.

For example, if a project phase starts on a given date, and you need to schedule a formal review three months later, Excel has a built-in function designed exactly for this. EDATE shifts a date by a specified number of months while preserving the day of the month when possible.

Here’s how to use it:

Column Name

Review Date

Formula

=EDATE([@[Start Date]], 3)

Number Format

Date

This moves the start date forward by three full months. For example, if the start date is June 1, 2026, Excel returns September 1, 2026.

You can also move backward in time when planning earlier review checkpoints, such as retrospective checks or pre-launch assessments. In those cases, you use a negative value:

=EDATE([@[Start Date]], -2)

Unlike day-based subtraction, EDATE respects calendar structure, making it more reliable than manually shifting dates.

Take control of your spreadsheet timelines

Ignoring Excel’s built-in date tools often leads to hours of manual updates and fragile spreadsheets. By understanding how Excel stores dates and using functions designed to work with them, you can build schedules that update themselves and forecast future milestones automatically. Once you’ve mastered tracking time with formulas, the next step is visualizing it—turn your data into a dynamic timeline that updates as your project evolves.



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