ChatGPT Revamps Interface: A Hybrid Voice and Text Concept for Optimized User Experience

Conversational artificial intelligence is constantly evolving, and ChatGPT, one of the major players in this field, is constantly reinventing itself. But how far will this race for innovation go? After conquering millions of users with its textual capabilities, ChatGPT introduced a promising voice mode. However, this feature remained somewhat isolated, with a distinct interface symbolized by a blue orb that became iconic. Today, OpenAI takes another step by integrating voice mode directly into the main conversation interface. This redesign, announced in late November 2025, promises a smoother and more intuitive experience. But what does this mean in practice for users? And above all, is this voice-text fusion a real competitive advantage over Google Gemini and Anthropic Claude?

🗣️ The Abandonment of the Blue Orb: A New Beginning for ChatGPT’s Voice Interface

The blue orb, a distinctive symbol of ChatGPT’s voice mode, disappears in favor of a more harmonious integration. Why this radical change? Until now, the voice experience required a dedicated interface, limiting interaction and the richness of responses. The orb, although identifiable, created a break with the main textual experience. Now, voice becomes an integral part of the conversation, allowing for continuous and transparent interaction. Imagine being able to dictate a message, see it displayed in real time, and add images or additional text, all without leaving the main interface. This is the promise of this new approach.

📱 A Strengthened Multimodal Experience: Beyond Simple Voice Exchange

The integration of voice mode is not limited to the removal of the blue orb. It paves the way for a truly multimodal experience. ChatGPT becomes capable of simultaneously processing text, voice, and images, thus offering unparalleled flexibility. You can now ask a question aloud, attach an image to illustrate your point, and get a textual and vocal response adapted to the context. This ability to juggle different types of data greatly enhances the relevance and richness of interactions.

🆚 ChatGPT vs. the Competition: A Step Ahead Thanks to User Experience?

In the artificial intelligence arena, competition is fierce. Google Gemini and Anthropic Claude compete with ingenuity to offer ever more powerful language models. While these competitors have recently caught up with OpenAI technically, ChatGPT retains a major asset: its application is the most complete and benefits from a considerable user base (800 million per week). User experience, often neglected, proves to be a key factor in success. Even the most ardent supporters of Gemini recognize that Google’s application does not always match the fluidity and intuitiveness of ChatGPT. This redesign of the voice interface could well consolidate OpenAI’s lead in this area.

⚙️ How to Activate the New Voice Mode of ChatGPT?

The good news is that the new voice mode is activated by default. Simply launch the ChatGPT application and press the dedicated button at the bottom of the screen to start a voice conversation. However, if you prefer the old interface with the blue orb, you can reactivate it in the application settings. OpenAI offers a “separate mode” for voice, thus satisfying all users.

⚠️ A Downside: The Language Model Used in Voice Mode

Despite this significant advance, a dark spot remains. ChatGPT’s voice mode does not yet use the latest language model (GPT-5.1). It is based on GPT-4o, an older version, which can result in less insightful and nuanced responses. OpenAI is actively working on integrating GPT-5.1 into voice mode, but it will take a little longer. In the meantime, some users may prefer to use dictation and text to benefit from the power of the latest model.

📊 Comparative Table of Voice Interfaces of Conversational AIs

🤔 The Future of Voice Interaction: A Major Challenge for AI

The integration of voice into artificial intelligence interfaces represents a major challenge. Voice is a natural and intuitive mode of interaction, which can simplify access to information and facilitate the performance of complex tasks. Yet, the development of high-performance voice interfaces remains a challenge. It is regrettable that few AI developers are really focusing on this aspect. The Google Gemini application, for example, also uses an older version of the model in voice mode. It is therefore essential to continue investing in research and development to improve the quality and relevance of voice interactions.

The future of AI lies in its ability to interact with us in a natural and intuitive way. Voice is a key element of this interaction.

🚀 In Conclusion: A Promising Evolution, but with Challenges to Overcome

The redesign of ChatGPT’s interface, with the integration of voice mode, is a promising evolution. It demonstrates OpenAI’s desire to offer an ever richer and more intuitive user experience. This voice-text fusion opens the way to more fluid and multimodal interactions, thus reinforcing the appeal of ChatGPT against the competition. However, challenges remain to be overcome, including the integration of the latest language model into voice mode. In the meantime, this new interface is an important step towards a future where artificial intelligence will be accessible to all, by voice as by text.