The day I tried to conquer Poland with AI

Disclaimer: Despite the warlike title and wording, I assure you my intentions with this article are all about peace and love ?? with Poland and any other country or individual.

Mid-May 2024. Just a few months ago, OpenAI delivered one of the most mind-blowing presentations of all time—think Steve Jobs unveiling the iPhone, but with a more modest setup and a presenter who might not quite rival Jobs in charisma. Yet, the advancements showcased were spectacular.

In fact, the presentation was so impactful that I felt compelled to write not one, but two articles about it:

ChatGPT-4o: On the Verge of AGI - Part 1

ChatGPT-4o: On the Verge of AGI - Part 2

This groundbreaking presentation had three gravitational points:

1. Introduction of ChatGPT-4o: Far superior, faster, and cheaper than its predecessor, and available immediately after the presentation. (Really amazing!)
2. ChatGPT Voice Assistant: Soon to be available, this smart and useful voice assistant can hold long conversations with you—none like his predecessor voice-to-text. This was real speech-to-speech interaction.
3. ChatGPT Desktop Application: A brand new feature that integrates with your active window, providing assistance on your current task—whether it's an email, a Salesforce profile, or your company's PnL spreadsheet.

Just in short, ChatGPT-4o needed to be released before ChatGPT Voice Assistant and ChatGPT Desktop Application because it powers both technologies with a multi-dialog model, which means that a single model works with very different inputs: text, image, voice.

Before this release OpenAI had a model for each one of the inputs.

But what is this article about?

It's about the ChatGPT Voice Assistant, which, despite a considerable delay (expected in early June but started rolling out in late July), is now here.

Before we continue something important:

How to Get the ChatGPT Voice Assistant?

1. Be a ChatGPT Plus user (paid subscription)
2. Have the latest mobile version (Android or iOS) released at least by the end of July
3. Receive a welcome email

Well, that's what the internet says. But from my experience, the third step isn't really necessary. ?? I got access to the ChatGPT Voice Assistant without any prior warning or information.

Luck or bug, I got access, and in a nutshell, it's as amazing as the demo we saw in May.

My first "call" with ChatGPT Voice Assistant lasted over 30 minutes, covering topics from puppy care to Instagram strategies for sports athletes.

The Sci-Fi Starts Now

I'm currently in Poland, where the locals speak Polish—a language notoriously difficult, ranked among the top 10 most challenging in the world. It falls somewhere between Russian, Finnish, and Hungarian in complexity.

It is so difficult, that it's common knowledge among Poles that minor mistakes in writing are acceptable at all levels due to the language's complexity, with its multiple declensions, and so on.

On the other hand, there's me—probably in the top 10 of the world's least skilled people at learning languages. So, conquering Poland under these circumstances isn't exactly off to a stellar start.

My day-to-day normal activities can turn into a real challenge when you are: booking a padel court, explaining my purpose to a civil servant, talking to a plumber about a leaking pipe, signing up for a yoga course—you name it.

So, when I first saw ChatGPT Voice Assistant, I thought I could use it as a real-time in-person translator. ????

The Battle ground

I had an expired by-one-day voucher from a padel tournament (I'm definitely better at playing padel than speaking languages) and I needed to persuade the person at the reception to accept the expired voucher—all in Polish.

My Warfare Strategy

Before entering the club, I briefed my new "Polish" companion with this prompt:

1. You will be a great real-time translator from English to Polish and vice versa.
2. Our next conversation will be between me and a sports club manager.
3. We will team up with the mission: get an expired by-one-day voucher accepted at the club.
4. Your translations to Polish will be simple, polite, and persuasive to our common goal: getting the voucher accepted.
5. Translate my initial sentence, then continue with your persuasion when you receive a response from the club manager.
6. Do not answer any questions without my approval.
7. If you receive any questions in Polish, translate them back to English and wait for my answer.
8. Before you translate back to English, include a short response to the manager that you are consulting with me.
9. Always be friendly, charming, and maintain a positive attitude.

How Did It Turn Out?

Well, yesterday I played padel for free ?? and made two new friends—one who can speak Polish, and another one synthetic, who speaks many languages and doesn't sleep.

How was the Experience?

I must admit, it was a bit bizarre—not to mention the people in line were freaking out. We were having a conversation with three "people," although one of them wasn't real.

As we established earlier, I'm not great at languages, but I did notice a certain "American" accent in the translated Polish. Nevertheless, it got me through, and judging by the receptionist's smile, she had a good laugh and probably something to share with her friends.

Conclusion

Ultimately, the feeling is that something has changed forever when it comes to communicating with others, with AI.

Many Gen Alpha, Gen Z, and Millennials have developed a dual personality between real life and digital life—something no other generation has had to navigate. Now, we're entering another level of the game: incorporating synthetic personalities into our real lives, which truly feels like a chapter from Isaac Asimov.

So, my expectations are that in the next 12 to 24 months, we'll see the birth of many new synthetic personalities. These digital companions will be with us wherever we go, helping us navigate day-to-day life and eventually becoming our trusted sidekicks running shotgun. Basically, they'll pick up where Siri left them off, providing support and companionship in ways we haven't yet imagined.