The AI version of old Saint Nick is now available as a seasonal character in the popular chatbot app. On Thursday, OpenAI announced that ChatGPT users can now interact with a simulated version of Santa Claus through the app’s voice mode. Using AI, this feature brings a North Pole connection to mobile devices, desktop apps, and web browsers during the holiday season.
The company has added Santa’s voice and personality as a preset option in ChatGPT’s advanced voice mode. There’s a snowflake icon located right next to the prompt bar, and tapping on it allows users to access Santa. Alternatively, users can find the feature through the voice settings. This is available on the iOS and Android mobile apps, chatgpt.com, and OpenAI’s Windows and macOS applications. The Santa voice option will be left available to users around the world until early January.
Conversations with Santa are designed as temporary chats that won’t be saved in the chat history or affect the model’s memory. OpenAI has intentionally set this limitation for the holiday feature. Keep this in mind if you let your kids talk to Santa—the AI simulation won’t remember what they told him during previous chats.
As part of the “12 Days of OpenAI” marketing event, on Day 6, an OpenAI staff member revealed during a livestream that the company would reset each user’s advanced voice mode usage limit as a one-time gift. So, even if you’ve already used up your advanced voice mode time, you’ll still have the chance to chat with Santa.
Video and Screen Sharing Comes to Advanced Voice Mode
The Santa update was announced along with the news about the availability of video and screen-share features in ChatGPT’s advanced voice mode-a feature that the company had promised since launching GPT-4 last May. These tools enable users to reveal their environment or broadcast material directly rather than show what they want to demonstrate or provided a photo. According to OpenAI, these features can be accessed from the menu by tapping on the voice icon and selecting video or screen sharing.
Most countries’ Plus and Pro subscribers can engage in real-time video conversations via the mobile app, though users in several European regions, including the EU, will have access to this feature later. Enterprise and education users can expect to access the video feature starting in January.
Enjoy the holiday spirit with ChatGPT’s Santa Mode and the new interactive features! 🎅
