ChatGPT could soon get smarter GPT-Bidi-1 voice model that can listen and talk at same time

Published 24 June 2026 · tech

OpenAI appears to be preparing a major upgrade for ChatGPT's conversational abilities. The reported changes are part of the company's broader plans to turn ChatGPT

OpenAI appears to be preparing a major upgrade for ChatGPT's conversational abilities. The reported changes are part of the company's broader plans to turn ChatGPT into a super app, with improvements expected across its AI products. While much of the overhaul is said to focus on OpenAI's Codex coding tool and agentic AI tools that can perform tasks on behalf of users, reports suggest the company is also working on a new bidirectional audio model called GPT-Bidi-1. Read Full Story According to reports, "Bidi" is short for bidirectional, a design that allows the assistant to speak, hear, and listen simultaneously. TestingCatalog first spotted references to GPT-Bidi-1 last week, with internal code reportedly describing it as a "major leap in intelligence" and "the next generation of Voice." The model is said to make conversations feel more natural.

For example, it can reportedly respond with brief acknowledgements such as "okay" when a user pauses or slows down, without interrupting the conversation. A more natural conversation experience GPT-Bidi-1 is also said to handle interruptions more smoothly. If a user asks it to count from one to ten and then interrupts midway to reverse the count, the assistant can reportedly adjust immediately. Perhaps the biggest change is its ability to maintain the flow of a long conversation. Instead of losing track of earlier context, GPT-Bidi-1 is said to remember previous parts of the discussion and continue responding accordingly. Reports also suggest it no longer jumps into conversations during longer pauses, a behaviour that has sometimes frustrated users of ChatGPT's current voice mode.

How the new model may work According to reports, GPT-Bidi-1 could appear in ChatGPT's model selector alongside the standard and advanced voice options. Users who select the model may see the voice bubble turn yellow. These details are based on code references, user interface sightings, and early user tests reported by multiple outlets. However, OpenAI has not published a technical whitepaper or engineering blog detailing the model's capabilities. Early rollout may have already started A recent report from TestingCatalog suggests that GPT-Bidi-1 has already begun rolling out to a small group of ChatGPT app users, raising the possibility of a broader release in the coming days. The report also notes that GPT-Bidi-1 could help OpenAI close the gap between its powerful text models and its older voice technology.