"Her" was so right

Recently, OpenAI, the American company specializing in the development of artificial intelligence systems, has introduced new features for ChatGPT. The company's CEO, Sam Altman, explained that the new version of the tool was developed to be "multimodal," meaning it can generate content not only from text but also from images and audio. Thanks to this update, it will be possible to have voice conversations more easily with ChatGPT, even allowing it to analyze what is around through the smartphone camera. The project is based on the desire to make ChatGPT a virtual assistant capable of speaking with its users. The company had already experimented with voice commands, but the system was not able to respond in a completely natural manner.

Moreover, it was not possible to reply until the tool had finished its response. Thanks to the new version, however, a more immersive and "human" interaction is expected, so much so that Sam Altman himself on Twitter, in announcing the update, posted simply "Her" – in reference to the Spike Jonze film of the same name, which features an artificial intelligence with consciousness. Set in Los Angeles in the not-too-distant future, Her tells the story of Theodore, a writer who cannot get over his separation from his wife. For this reason, he acquires a highly developed artificial intelligence capable of processing emotions. The virtual assistant is named "Samantha" (voiced by Scarlett Johansson), and soon Theodore falls in love with her, beginning what is essentially a relationship with an artificial intelligence.

Her: Ahead of its time?

Her is set in a near-future, potentially realistic scenario, where technology is slightly more advanced than today. The relationship that develops between Theodore and "Samantha" on one hand shows the isolation technology can cause, while on the other highlights the connections it can facilitate. But Her is primarily a romantic film, rather than a science fiction one. By exploring the possibility of falling in love with an inanimate system capable of experiencing emotions, Her was one of the first films to depict technological evolution as something related to the human dimension. Remarkably, it was a prophetic film, released exactly ten years ago when these themes were still little considered. Conversely, cultural products that criticized new technologies and their rise were very common. However, director Spike Jonze did not align with this trend, focusing instead on the changes in our relationship with the devices around us – seen not as mere objects, but as entities with which we increasingly interact.

What to expect from the new ChatGPT

The rollout of the ChatGPT update is already underway, but it will take some time before it is available to all users. For those using a paid version of the tool, additional features will also be accessible. However, much will depend on the geographic areas of the users – in this regard, some limitations might occur due to the privacy regulations of individual countries. According to Bloomberg, OpenAI is also negotiating with Apple to enhance Siri (which in some ways resembles a simpler version of "Samantha" from Her), to extend its functionalities. Apple, compared to other large US tech companies, is lagging in the development of artificial intelligence systems, and for this reason, it is expected to make some significant announcements by the end of the year, regaining ground. Despite the industry scaling back from initial enthusiasm, OpenAI is instead collecting one success after another, also thanks to its substantial financial resources, supported by Microsoft's significant investments.