OpenAI rounded out day six of the 12 Days of OpenAI with some seasonal magic in ChatGPT’s new Santa Mode. After showing off ChatGPT’s new ability to see the world around you in real-time through your smartphone’s video camera, OpenAI CPO Kevin Weil and his fellow presenters shared the news of their jolly AI elf or rather a voice for ChatGPT that mimics a version of Santa’s voice along the lines of most Hollywood depictions of Saint Nick for the last century.

The addition to OpenAI’s Advanced Voice Mode is described as “merry and bright,” which seems about right. It’s not quite a phone call with Santa, but OpenAI clearly wants to bring a little North Pole magic to the AI chatbot.

Better yet, Santa Mode is available to everyone using ChatGPT on mobile, web, or desktop apps for MacOS and Windows.

SantaGPT

@techradar
♬ Holiday Season – Iustin Galea

To start Santa Mode, just look for the snowflake icon next to the ChatGPT prompt bar, give it a tap, and virtual Santa’s voice will be there to make the season a little brighter without needing to untangle long strings of lights first.

Combined with the new video-sharing feature, you could show off your Christmas sweater, ask for help with holiday baking, or even puzzle out your kid’s messily handwritten wish list.

Santa Mode doesn’t change what ChatGPT can do, but there’s something nice about pointing your phone at your messy gingerbread house and hearing Santa’s voice telling you tips on stopping it from collapsing. You might enjoy hearing him compliment your choice of Christmas Tree ornaments or perhaps spot your pet getting tangled up in the decor before it’s trapped.

AI with good-natured holiday cheer is a solid selling point, even if only at this time of year.

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Eric Hal Schwartz is a freelance writer for TechRadar with more than 15 years of experience covering the intersection of the world and technology. For the last five years, he served as head writer for Voicebot.ai and was on the leading edge of reporting on generative AI and large language models. He’s since become an expert on the products of generative AI models, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude, Google Gemini, and every other synthetic media tool. His experience runs the gamut of media, including print, digital, broadcast, and live events. Now, he’s continuing to tell the stories people want and need to hear about the rapidly evolving AI space and its impact on their lives. Eric is based in New York City.