The company said the new tools are designed to make voice-based apps more useful in everyday situations, especially where users need software to respond naturally while carrying out tasks in real time.

At the centre of the launch is GPT-Realtime-2, a voice model OpenAI says can handle more difficult requests while keeping conversations flowing naturally.

Unlike earlier versions, the company said the model uses GPT-5-level reasoning to manage interruptions, understand context better and carry out actions during conversations.

OpenAI also unveiled GPT-Realtime-Translate, a live translation model that can translate speech from more than 70 input languages into 13 output languages.

According to the company, the system keeps pace with the speaker during conversations instead of translating after pauses or completed sentences.

The third model, GPT-Realtime-Whisper, focuses on live speech transcription. It converts spoken words into text instantly while a person is talking.

“Together, the models we are launching move real-time audio from simple call-and-response toward voice interfaces that can actually do work: listen, reason, translate, transcribe, and take action as a conversation unfolds,” OpenAI said.

Voice products have become a huge focus for technology companies as more users interact with software through speech instead of typing. OpenAI said developers want systems that can manage tasks while conversations continue naturally.

The company pointed to customer support, travel, education, media and creator platforms as some of the areas expected to benefit from the new models.

OpenAI also described three growing patterns it sees in voice-based software.

The first is “voice-to-action”, where users speak naturally and the system completes tasks on their behalf. OpenAI said property platform Zillow is building an assistant that can help users search for homes, avoid certain neighbourhood conditions and book tours through voice requests.

Another pattern is “systems-to-voice”, where software provides spoken updates automatically. OpenAI gave the example of travel apps that could alert passengers about delayed flights, new boarding gates or transfer routes without users typing commands.

The third area is “voice-to-voice”, which focuses on live multilingual conversations. OpenAI said Deutsche Telekom is developing customer support systems that translate discussions instantly while both sides continue speaking in their preferred languages.

Travel company Priceline is also working on voice-based trip management tools, according to OpenAI. Travellers could eventually book flights, change hotel reservations and receive airport updates entirely through conversation.

Alongside the broader rollout, OpenAI added several new features to GPT-Realtime-2 aimed at improving live interactions.

Developers can now enable short phrases such as “let me check that” or “one moment while I look into it” before the system completes a request. OpenAI said this gives users clearer feedback while the model processes tasks in the background.

The model can also call multiple tools at once and explain those actions aloud during conversations. OpenAI said the system may say things like “checking your calendar” or “looking that up now” while working through requests.

The company added that GPT-Realtime-2 recovers better from errors or failed requests instead of stopping conversations abruptly. It also supports a larger context window, increasing from 32K to 128K, allowing longer and more detailed conversations.

OpenAI further noted that the model has improved understanding of specialised terms, including healthcare vocabulary and proper nouns. Developers can also adjust how much reasoning power the model uses depending on the complexity of a request.

According to benchmark figures released by the company, GPT-Realtime-2 achieved higher scores than GPT-Realtime-1.5 on audio intelligence and instruction-following tests.

All three models are available through OpenAI’s Realtime API. The company said GPT-Realtime-Translate and GPT-Realtime-Whisper will be billed by the minute, while GPT-Realtime-2 pricing depends on token usage.

OpenAI said it has added safeguards to reduce misuse, including protections against spam, fraud and harmful content. The company also added that conversations can be stopped automatically if they break its safety rules.

The update, available from Tuesday, targets both casual travellers and serious language learners, providing tools to improve speaking, listening, and comprehension skills.

The unique addition is a language practice feature. Users can now select the “practice” option in the Translate app, set their skill level and personal goals, and engage in interactive sessions designed to adapt dynamically to their abilities. 

Beginners can focus on basic conversational skills, while advanced users can refine vocabulary and fluency. The exercises allow you to listen and tap along with conversations or practise speaking, with progress tracked daily.

This innovation makes Google Translate a direct competitor to apps like Duolingo, offering a more immersive and AI-driven approach to language learning. The beta rollout initially supports English speakers practising Spanish and French, and Spanish, French, and Portuguese speakers practising English.

Google has also expanded its live translation features. Users in the U.S., India, and Mexico can now engage in back-and-forth conversations in over 70 languages, including Arabic, French, Hindi, Korean, Spanish, and Tamil. By tapping “Live translate” and speaking, the app provides spoken translations and on-screen transcripts in real time.

“Building on our existing live conversation experience, our advanced AI models are now making it even easier to have a live conversation in more than 70 languages — including Arabic, French, Hindi, Korean, Spanish, and Tamil,” Google said in a blog post.

The feature recognises pauses, intonations, and accents to ensure conversations feel natural. Google’s voice and speech recognition models can isolate sounds in noisy environments, such as airports or cafés, delivering high-quality translation even amid background noise.

Google emphasised that these enhancements rely on its Gemini AI models. “As we continue to push the boundaries of language processing and understanding, we are able to serve a wider range of languages and improve the quality and speed of translations. And with our Gemini models in Translate, we’ve been able to take huge strides in translation quality, multimodal translation, and text-to-speech (TTS) capabilities,” the company wrote.

With people translating roughly 1 trillion words each month across Translate, Search, Lens, and Circle to Search, Google believes these updates will significantly reduce language barriers and make communication across cultures more seamless.

These AI-based features now place Samsung stacking up against those from Google and Apple, two of Samsung’s biggest rivals

In this article, Techeconomy brings to you six (6) Galaxy AI’s features:

1. Note Assist:

This feature creates AI-generated summaries of notes, translates and formats files in Samsung’s Notes app. Plus, it generates digital covers for notes to make them easy to spot with a brief preview.

2. Interpreter:

This is like Live Translation, but it’s focused on translating a conversation into just text that’s shown on a split-screen.

The view is arranged so that the people talking can stand face-to-face and read the text transcription of what the other person said. It also works without cellular data or Wi-Fi.

3. Circle to Search:

You can launch a Google search for anything shown on screen just by circling that thing with either your finger or Samsung’s S Pen stylus.

You long-press the home button and then circle, highlight, scribble on, or tap any part of an image or video, or any bit of text, and you’ll instantly launch the search.

For instance, if your friend sends a travel photo, you can use Circle to Search to learn more about the landmark they’re standing in front of. Or circle their shoes to find out the brand name and even call up links for buying them.

4. Chat Assist:

This Galaxy AI feature helps with writing and is integrated into the keyboard. It’s available when you’re composing messages, emails, social media posts and more. When you type your message, Chat Assist analyzes it and can alter the text to make its tone sound as you intended.

For instance, you needed to send a polite message to a team member, you could choose a professional version of the message you typed, Or you could select #social and your phone would generate a version of your text in that style.

5. Generative Edit:

This generative AI feature lets you make reality-bending edits to your photos, like you can with the Google Pixel 8’s Magic Editor.

You can remove objects and Generative Edit will fill in the background where the object once was. All images that have major AI alterations will get watermarked in the metadata to indicate this.

But small edits, like removing reflections, won’t get the watermark.

6. Live Translation:

Samsung’s new live translation tool is perhaps the company’s most compelling AI feature. As the name suggests, the tool can translate a live phone call in real-time voice and text between two different languages.

Samsung Galaxy AI Live translation supports 13 languages and 17 dialects, allowing two people to have a basic conversation even if they don’t speak the same language.

[Featured Image Credit]