A global AI boom is in full swing, with countries worldwide, including those in Southeast Asia, actively exploring the potential of artificial intelligence. As it turns out, Hong Kong isn’t sitting on the sidelines either!
Just recently, it was announced that the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) is leading the charge with innovative experiments including AI-powered lecturers. This initiative reflects a broader trend in education, as tools like ChatGPT become increasingly available and utilized across campuses globally. It’s also a strategic move for Hong Kong to establish a foothold in the rapidly growing AI market.
This also explains why there is a lot of interest among Hong Kongers in popular chatbots like Gemini and ChatGPT. In fact, OpenAI’s GPT-4 has been long regarded as the benchmark against which most other AI models have been measured. It’s smart, capable and evolving at a generous rate despite not having access to a constantly updated database, unlike its arch-rival Gemini.
Hence, when OpenAI announced an evolved version of GPT-4, we noticed. It is called GPT-4o, where ‘o’ stands for Omni, it is claimed to be the most advanced AI model that OpenAI has ever created. The best part? OpenAI is available in a limited form to free-tier users.
However, for members of ChatGPT Plus, OpenAI provides GPT-3.5, GPT-4 and GPT-4o as three optional AI models with varying levels of performance and capabilities. Since an unbound variant of GPT-4o is also available for members of ChatGPT Plus, we wondered how it compares with the older GPT-4 and whether it makes sense to stick to the latter.
Hence, in a detailed GPT-4o vs GPT-4 comparison, we explore everything the new AI model has to offer and whether it should remain the default AI model of choice for OpenAI loyalists.
A GPT-4o vs GPT-4 features comparison
One of the areas where GPT-4o brings notable improvements is multimodal capabilities, which means that your humble ChatGPT can now understand images, files, videos and even audio inputs. In an online demonstration shared on YouTube, OpenAI shows how GPT-4o interacts with a human using voice and visual inputs.
In simple words, GPT-4o is a revolutionary leap for OpenAI’s Gen-AI future.
Here are some of the key areas where GPT-4o has a performance-based advantage over the older GPT-4 model
1. The GPT-4o AI model understands images and sounds, not just text. Compared to GPT-4, this allows you as a user to get answers to a variety of queries that don’t necessarily have to be worded. For example, you can ask GPT-4o to explain the balance sheets or financial graphs. Even if it’s a complex and data-heavy PDF file, GPT-4o can analyse the content and summarise it for you.
2. GPT-4o is fast. Unlike GPT-4, which took a while to process your input and come up with an answer, the new GPT-4o can react to your voice in milliseconds. This means that you could have natural conversations with the AI chatbot and you may be fooled into believing that there’s an actual person on the other side. No more loneliness while you are away from your loved ones!
3. On a related note, GPT-4o can also have more natural vocal interactions. As shown in the demo video below, it can pick up nuances of human speech and use it to make the conversation seem like a chat. With access to a camera, it can even analyse everything in the frame and try to use the data to make chats seem natural.
4. GPT-4o is multilingual. While it can handle English text and code just as well as the most powerful version of GPT-4, it won’t show a dip in performance as far as other languages are concerned (that’s what OpenAI claims). Hence, a chatbot relying on GPT-4o should be able to communicate with people from various regions of the world efficiently.
5. Another key difference GPT-4 users will notice is the overall faster textual responses to complex queries. Whether it is summarising a complex thesis from a PDF file or generating code, GPT-4o will come up with a response faster.
6. Additionally, the new model is also smarter at coming up with responses to your queries. GPT-4o takes references from various sources and creates a more elaborate response to eliminate all possible doubts.
GPT-4o vs GPT-4: Our take
In essence, OpenAI’s GPT-4o is an improved version of the already capable GPT-4. The new model is not only better at deciphering images, video, audio and files but does it all much faster. Compared to GPT-4, GPT-4o is a clear winner and our recommended OpenAI model.
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(Hero and Featured Image Credits: Courtesy Solen Feyissa via Unsplash)
