I spend more time with ChatGPT than most people spend on Instagram or TikTok. It’s my go-to coworker, brainstorming partner and like a lot of users, the chatbot is my occasional therapist in between sessions.
As someone who tests chatbots for a living, I am constantly testing, re-testing and running prompts even before my morning coffee. Whenever I'm on a run or packing school lunches, I often come up with new ideas to push the chatbot to its limits. In other words, I'm a power user.
And while I often use ChatGPT hands-free with ChatGPT Voice, I have a confession: I just cannot connect with any of the Voice options. I've tried them all but despite the natural pauses, tone changes and fluctuations in the voice, I just don't vibe with this feature, often resetting the chat and going back to chatting via text.
But despite being one of my biggest issues with the chatbot, it's not a dealbreaker. In fact, I think it might even be a good thing, here's why.
What you'll learn in this article:
- Why ChatGPT Voice doesn’t feel natural — everything from the uncanny effect to voice pacing and emotional mismatch
- The specific ways using voice slows down productivity — especially for “power users” like me who type fast and prefer to skim content
- How the promise of voice-chat features (natural tone, hands-free use, different voice options) didn't live up to the hype
- The very unique and personal reason this flaw isn't a total dealbreaker
The promise of ChatGPT Voice
On paper, ChatGPT Voice sounds brilliant. It’s marketed as natural, human-like conversation for easy, hands-free chatting with a smart, well-informed assistant. OpenAI even rolled out a variety of voice options, ranging from soothing and reassuring to bright and energetic. The idea is that you can pick the voice that feels most like “your AI companion” and start talking. So why can't I find one that I like?
I frequently use ChatGPT Voice while cooking dinner as it walks me through a recipe or while driving as it summarizes a news story so I can keep my eyes on the road. I've even used the hands-free chatbot while folding laundry.
It's not even as if the sound of the chatbot's many voices are as irritating as nails scratching a chalkboard, but I really can't connect with them in the same way I can with Alexa+ or even some of the chatbots I've tried on Character.ai.
Why it doesn’t click for me
I've given all of the voices a solid try. I even really like the names of each one (Cove, Maple, Ember). But none of them land with Sol being my absolute least favorite.
Part of it is the uncanny factor. The voices sound way too polished, almost like actors reading lines. I find myself distracted by how smooth they are, which ironically makes the interaction feel less human. Talking to a real person means hearing ums, sighs and a few word stumbles here and there.
ChatGPT Voice doesn't have the right balance of anything. The pauses are more like interruptions and the energy level is either too boring or way too over-the-top.
ChatGPT Voice, on the other hand, doesn't seem to have the right balance of anything. The pauses are more like interruptions and the energy level is either too boring or way too over-the-top.
Another issue is that Voice slows me down. I’m a power user. I type fast, I skim faster and I’m used to extracting exactly what I need in seconds. With Voice, I have to listen at the model’s pace. Even when the information is useful, I’m tapping my foot, thinking, cut to the chase already as I make the "wrap it up" motion with my hand.
The takeaway
Here’s the funny part: I’ll happily let ChatGPT draft emails, summarize research papers, build apps, even act as a family vacation planner. I trust it with my novel ideas, my grocery budget and the occasional career pep talk. I let AI into some of the most personal and productive parts of my life.
But here's why I think that might just be a good thing and not a flaw. For all the hype about AI voices being “human-like,” the truth is they’re not. And I’m okay with that. It reminds me that I still crave the quirks and imperfections of actual people.
I’ve spent years writing about AI’s potential, testing its tools and celebrating the ways it makes life easier. But this one feature reminds me that there are still boundaries. Just because I can talk to ChatGPT like a person doesn’t mean I want to.
So yes, I’m a ChatGPT power user, and yes, I regularly use ChatGPT Voice, but it is the one feature that fails to completely win me over — and I’ve made peace with that.
Because maybe the point isn’t for AI to be indistinguishable from humans. Maybe the point is to help with what humans don’t want to do, so we can spend more time actually talking to each other.
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