OpenAI provides to an more and more aggressive AI voice marketplace for enterprises with its new mannequin, gpt-realtime, that follows advanced directions and with voices “that sound more natural and expressive.”
As voice AI continues to develop, and prospects discover use instances resembling customer support calls or real-time translation, the marketplace for realistic-sounding AI voices that additionally provide enterprise-grade safety is heating up. OpenAI claims its new mannequin gives a extra human-like voice, however it nonetheless must compete towards firms like ElevenLabs.
The mannequin will likely be out there on the Realtime API, which the corporate additionally made usually out there. Together with the gpt-realtime mannequin, OpenAI additionally launched new voices on the API, which it calls Cedar and Marin, and up to date its different voices to work with the newest mannequin.
OpenAI stated in a livestream that it labored with its prospects who’re constructing voice purposes to coach gpt-realtime and “carefully aligned the model to evals that are built on real-world scenarios like customer support and academic tutoring.”
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The corporate touted the mannequin’s skill to create emotive, natural-sounding voices that additionally align with how builders construct with the know-how.
Speech-to-speech fashions
The mannequin operates inside a speech-to-speech framework, enabling it to know spoken prompts and reply vocally. Speech-to-speech fashions are ideally fitted to real-time responses, the place an individual, usually a buyer, interacts with an utility.
For instance, a buyer needs to return some merchandise and calls a customer support platform. They may very well be speaking to an AI voice assistant that responds to questions and requests as in the event that they had been talking with a human.
In a livestream, OpenAI prospects T-Cell showcased an AI voice-powered agent that helps individuals discover new telephones. One other buyer, the actual property search platform Zillow, showcased an agent who helps somebody slim down a neighborhood to search out the right place.
OpenAI stated gpt-realtime is its “most advanced, production-ready voice model.” Like its different voice fashions, it could change languages mid-sentence. Nevertheless, OpenAI researchers famous gpt-realtime can comply with extra advanced directions like “speak emphatically in a French accent.”
However gpt-realtime faces competitors from different fashions that many manufacturers already use. ElevenLabs launched Dialog AI 2.0 in Could. Soundhound companions with quick meals franchises for an AI voice drive-thru. Emphatic AI startup Hume has launched its EVI 3 mannequin, which permits customers to generate AI variations of their very own voice.
As enterprises uncover numerous use instances for voice AI, much more basic mannequin suppliers that provide multimodal LLMs are making a case for themselves. Mistral launched its new Voxtral mannequin, stating it could work nicely with real-time translation. Google is enhancing its audio capabilities and gaining reputation with an audio characteristic on NotebookLM that converts analysis notes right into a podcast.
Higher instruction following
OpenAI stated gpt-realtime is smarter and understands native audio higher, together with the flexibility to catch non-verbal cues like laughs or sighs.
Benchmarking utilizing the Massive Bench Audio eval confirmed the mannequin scoring 82.8% in accuracy, in comparison with its earlier mannequin, which scored 65.6%. OpenAI didn’t present numbers testing gpt-realtime towards fashions from its opponents.
OpenAI centered on enhancing the mannequin’s instruction-following capabilities, making certain the mannequin would adhere to instructions extra successfully. The brand new mannequin achieves a rating of 30.5% on the MultiChallenge audio benchmark. The engineers additionally beefed up operate calling so gpt-realtime can entry the right instruments.
Realtime API updates
To help the brand new mannequin and improve how enterprises combine real-time AI capabilities into their purposes, OpenAI has added a number of new options to the Realtime API.
It may now help MCP and acknowledge picture inputs, permitting it to tell customers about what it sees in real-time. This can be a characteristic Google closely emphasised throughout its Challenge Astra presentation final yr.
The Realtime API may deal with Session Initiation Protocol (SIP). SIP connects apps to telephones like a public telephone community or desk telephones, opening up extra contact heart use instances. Customers may save and reuse prompts on the API.
Thus far, individuals are impressed with the mannequin, though these are nonetheless preliminary checks of a mannequin that was just lately launched.
Tbh, the MCP and SIP options are the actual story right here, not simply one other mannequin.
The power to connect with exterior instruments and methods seamlessly is what’s going to lastly transfer these fashions from being spectacular demos to being built-in into precise workflows.
The actual time facet…
— JK (@_junaidkhalid1) August 28, 2025
Testing out gpt-realtime
Preliminary evaluation:– Noticable audio enchancment– It is a stickler for the directions (excellent)– Feels quick pic.twitter.com/LtyCs0QLXV
— Jake Colling (@JacobColling) August 28, 2025
Properly, GPT-realtime received a livestream not as a result of most customers have an interest, however for strategic enterprise causes
Name facilities are a serious goal for LLM suppliers and the primary firm to succeed in an actual breakthrough will get large income
— AnKo (@anko_979) August 28, 2025
OpenAI decreased costs for gpt-realtime by 20% to $32 per million audio enter tokens and $64 for audio output tokens.
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