OpenAI’s Head of Product Nick Turley recently shared five valuable tips for maximizing ChatGPT’s capabilities during an appearance on the “Hard Fork” podcast. While many users rely on the AI chatbot for basic tasks like recipe creation or email drafting, Turley revealed several underutilized features that can significantly enhance the user experience.
Voice Mode for Natural Conversations: Turley emphasized that ChatGPT’s voice feature represents “a completely different way of using ChatGPT” that’s “unlike anything else you will have tried in technology.” The feature offers nine human-like voices developed with professional voice actors, allowing users to have natural conversations with the AI instead of typing. While all signed-in users can access standard voice mode, the advanced voice mode—offering natural, real-time conversations—is currently exclusive to Plus and Team subscribers. Some users report having “emotional, personal” conversations, though experts caution against using AI as a therapy replacement.
Memory Function for Personalization: Users can instruct ChatGPT to remember specific information about their job, family situation, preferences, and even favorite foods. “You don’t have to wait for it to infer it about you,” Turley explained. “You can just tell it all the stuff that you want remembered.” This memory feature can be toggled on or off, and users can request the chatbot forget specific information at any time.
Custom GPT Creation: Without any coding knowledge, users can create personalized GPTs tailored to specific tasks—from language learning to data analysis. Turley noted that if you have “this prompt you’re reusing all the time, make a GPT for yourself.” These custom GPTs can incorporate advanced features like data analysis or DALL-E image generation, and can remain private or be shared publicly.
File Upload Capabilities: Available for Plus and Enterprise users, this “pretty phenomenal” feature allows uploading of text files, documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. ChatGPT can then analyze, summarize, extract information, or compare documents—particularly useful for processing lengthy papers or handbooks.
Image Integration: Turley encouraged more “cross-pollination” between text and image capabilities, noting that ChatGPT can both understand images and generate them through DALL-E. Users can combine these features for creative projects like designing birthday cards with custom images and poems.
Key Quotes
It is a completely different way of using ChatGPT. It’s never existed before. It’s unlike anything else you will have tried in technology.
Nick Turley, OpenAI’s Head of Product, described the voice mode feature, emphasizing its revolutionary nature in human-AI interaction and its departure from traditional text-based interfaces.
You don’t have to wait for it to infer it about you. You can just tell it all the stuff that you want remembered.
Turley explained the memory function, highlighting how users can proactively customize their ChatGPT experience by explicitly instructing the AI to remember personal details, preferences, and context.
A lot of people don’t know this exists. And it’s really, really powerful.
Turley commented on the file upload feature available to Plus and Enterprise users, acknowledging the widespread lack of awareness about this capability despite its significant utility for document analysis and processing.
I find that there’s text people, and there’s image people, and they almost don’t overlap.
The OpenAI executive observed user behavior patterns, expressing his desire for more integration between ChatGPT’s text and image capabilities to unlock more creative and comprehensive use cases.
Our Take
Turley’s tips reveal a strategic challenge for OpenAI: feature discoverability. Despite investing heavily in developing advanced capabilities, many remain underutilized because users stick to familiar patterns. This suggests OpenAI needs better onboarding and in-app education to drive feature adoption. The emphasis on voice mode is particularly telling—it represents OpenAI’s vision for more natural AI interaction, potentially competing with voice assistants like Siri and Alexa. The custom GPT feature democratizes AI customization, allowing non-technical users to create specialized tools, which could spawn an ecosystem of shared GPTs. However, the tiered access model (Plus and Enterprise for advanced features) creates a two-tier user experience that may limit broader adoption. As competition intensifies with Google’s Gemini and Anthropic’s Claude, maximizing user engagement with existing features becomes crucial for retention and justifying premium subscriptions.
Why This Matters
These insights from OpenAI’s Head of Product reveal a significant gap between ChatGPT’s available capabilities and how most users actually engage with the platform. As AI adoption accelerates across industries, understanding advanced features becomes crucial for maximizing productivity and competitive advantage. The emphasis on voice mode signals OpenAI’s push toward more natural human-AI interaction, potentially transforming how people integrate AI into daily workflows.
The memory and customization features represent a shift toward personalized AI experiences, moving beyond one-size-fits-all interactions. This personalization could dramatically improve AI utility for professionals, students, and creative workers. However, the revelation that many features remain “lesser-known” highlights an ongoing challenge in AI adoption: feature discovery and user education. As AI tools become more sophisticated, the gap between casual users and power users may widen, creating new digital literacy demands. For businesses investing in AI tools, these tips underscore the importance of comprehensive training programs to ensure employees leverage the full potential of AI platforms, maximizing return on investment.
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Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/openai-head-of-product-shares-5-tips-for-using-chatgpt-2024-11