ChatGPT's New Voice: Human-like, but Annoying?

ChatGPT's new voice update is drawing strong opinions due to its more human-like sound. The latest model now includes "ums," "rights," and awkward pauses, aiming to smooth out robotic edges. One user conducted an experiment, counting filler words across different voices. In a five-minute conversation, the "Maple" voice used 20 "hmmms" and many "yeeeahs." The "Vale" voice, a British female voice, had fewer "hmmms" but many "ohhh yeeeahs" and "suuuures." The "Arbor" voice, a British male voice, was calmer but stilted, with odd pauses. After 20 minutes of conversations, over 100 filler words and conversational noises were counted. This change makes ChatGPT sound more natural, but some users find it annoying.