In a nutshell, ChatGPT is a type of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) technology that can produce text, images and audio based on a vast set of data. With its capacity to produce output with a prompt in a few seconds — ushering in a new era of enhanced productivity — this tool will remain the talk of the town this year and beyond.
In this article, we enumerate the ChatGPT 2024 updates you need to know alongside enhancements that will soon be rolled out.
GenAI’s growing influence
According to a report by Wavestone, around 62.3 percent of the data executives surveyed shared that GenAI like ChatGPT is a top organizational priority. Additionally, about 64.2 percent believe it could “be the most transformational technology in a generation.”
Meanwhile, a McKinsey report showed that GenAI could improve labor productivity by 0.1 to 0.6 percent annually until 2040. Across the 63 use cases that the company has studied — including customer operations, marketing and sales, software engineering and research and development — the technology could add output worth $2.6 trillion to $4.4 trillion every year.
These figures come at a time when GenAI is still in its early stage of adoption. In 2024 and in the coming years, the technology is poised to get more sophisticated. Concurrently, organizations will start to use it at scale. Therefore, these numbers will likely grow more substantially in the future.
ChatGPT updates in 2024
ChatGPT, the most popular GenAI tool today, has introduced new features in the first months of 2024.
GPT Store
Rolled out on January 10, this groundbreaking update introduces the GPT Store. This is a hub that gathers innovative GPT models that OpenAI (the company that launched ChatGPT), its partners and ChatGPT users have developed. For easier browsing, the models are grouped into categories, such as Writing, Productivity, Research and Analysis, Programming, Education and Lifestyle. Some of the most popular models include Logo Creator by Chase Lean, which allows you to generate a logo, and Canva, which seamlessly creates designs that you can further edit on the Canva website.
ChatGPT team plan
As more organizations use ChatGPT at scale, OpenAI has acknowledged the need for a more collaborative environment. Hence, the unveiling of the team plan. This plan grants teams of different sizes access to advanced models and features, such as GPT-4, DALL·E 3 and Advanced Data Analysis. It also has a dedicated collaborative workspace so that team members can fully harness the GenAI tool’s capabilities. There’s also an array of administrative tools to facilitate team management.
Like ChatGPT Enterprise, the team plan allows users to own and control their data. If you avail of this plan, it means that ChatGPT won’t train on your conversations and other business data you provide.
Memory controls
Starting February 13, OpenAI has made a memory feature available to a portion of ChatGPT free and plus users.
With this feature, ChatGPT can now remember information across all chats. The goal is to help users like you save time by not providing information again and again. The good news is that you have control over what ChatGPT will remember. You can tell what it should remember and forget — via a conversation or through settings. If you prefer ChatGPT not to remember any conversation, you can turn off this feature entirely.
Read: Tech boom: MENA emerges as global digital economy hub
What to expect
Sam Altman, the chief executive officer of OpenAI, revealed more updates that ChatGPT users can anticipate. Speaking at the World Governments Summit held in Dubai, Altman said that ChatGPT-5 will soon be introduced.
“This is a bigger deal than it sounds because what makes these [GPT] models so magical is that they’re general. So, if it’s a little bit smarter, it’s a little better at everything,” the tech executive explained, highlighting that the new version will be smarter than its predecessors.
Specifically, GPT-5 will offer better personalization and generate responses that are more varied, accurate and creative. The model can also handle more types of content (possibly including video) and facilitate more efficient software development.
ChatGPT’s voice mode will also see significant enhancements in 2024. These include improved quality, speed and reliability. As Altman highlighted, the voice feature will sound more natural, expressive and emotionally attuned.
Final thoughts
As ChatGPT implements and announces new updates in 2024, it heralds a giant leap in GenAI as a whole. Updates such as the GPT Store, team plan and, soon, the GPT-5, are there to help individuals and organizations be more productive and efficient. And all these features give a glimpse into what a future powered by GenAI tools will look like.
For more technology stories, click here.
