In this newsletter:

• OpenAI adds voice mode directly into the ChatGPT interface
• Anthropic launches Claude Opus 4.5: smarter, cheaper, and more efficient
• OpenAI and Perplexity launch new AI shopping tools

Plus, you’ll find new AI tools and this week’s top AI news headlines!

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🎙️ OpenAI Integrates Voice Mode Directly Into ChatGPT Interface

OpenAI announced that ChatGPT Voice now functions within the main chat interface instead of requiring users to switch to a separate voice mode screen.

What's new:

• Voice conversations now display responses as text in real-time within the chat
• Users can view images, maps, and other visuals while talking to ChatGPT
• Can review earlier messages during voice conversations without leaving the interface
• Rolling out now as the default across web and mobile apps for all users
• Original separate voice mode is still available in Settings under "Voice Mode" toggle

Why it matters:

The previous voice interface forced users into an isolated experience with just an animated blue circle, requiring them to exit voice mode entirely to see text responses or review conversation history. This fragmented workflow disrupted natural conversation flow, especially for tasks requiring visual context like image analysis or map directions.

The unified interface removes friction between voice and text inputs, making ChatGPT more practical for mixed-mode interactions where you might start speaking, review visual output, then continue typing. However, users still need to manually tap "end" to stop voice conversations before switching back to text, showing OpenAI hasn't fully eliminated mode-switching friction.

👀 Read about ChatGPT voice mode update!

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🤖 Anthropic Launches Claude Opus 4.5: Smarter, Cheaper, and More Efficient

Anthropic released Claude Opus 4.5 on November 24, positioning it as the most capable AI model for autonomous agents and complex business tasks while slashing prices from $15/$75 to $5/$25 per million tokens.

What's new:

• Scored 80.9% on SWE-bench Verified, beating GPT-5.1-Codex-Max (77.9%) and Gemini 3 Pro (76.2%)
• Uses 48% fewer tokens than Sonnet 4.5 while delivering 4.3 percentage points better performance
• New "effort parameter" lets you balance capability against cost and latency for different task complexities
• Available in Claude for Excel (pivot tables, charts, file uploads), Chrome extension for Max users, and "infinite chats" feature
• Outscored every human candidate on Anthropic's internal engineering exam given to prospective performance engineers

How users are testing it:

• Office automation agents achieved peak performance in 4 iterations, while other models couldn't match that quality after 10 attempts
• Financial modeling firms reported 20% accuracy improvements and 15% efficiency gains on internal evaluations
• Users generated expert-level spreadsheets, presentations, and documents with professional polish that previously required significant human intervention
• In airline service simulation, the model found creative workarounds upgrading cabin class first to modify non-refundable tickets instead of defaultly refusing requests
• Early testers described it as finally "getting it," handling ambiguity, and reasoning about tradeoffs without constant supervision

Why it matters:

The 67% price drop makes Opus affordable enough to use daily instead of saving it for special projects. The efficiency boost means you get better results while spending less. Each task uses half the tokens of previous models.

The bigger change is how Opus handles work autonomously. Previous models would start strong but lose track midway through complex tasks, requiring constant supervision. Opus 4.5 completes multi-step projects independently, like building financial reports, analyzing datasets, or handling customer inquiries, without making errors that need human cleanup.

👀 Read the full review!

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🛍️ OpenAI and Perplexity Launch New AI Shopping Tools

OpenAI and Perplexity both announced AI shopping features this week that help users research purchases directly within their chatbots ahead of the holiday season.

What's new:

• ChatGPT finds products based on criteria like "gaming laptop under $1,000 with 15+ inch screen."
• Users can share photos of expensive items and ask for cheaper alternatives
• Perplexity uses chatbot memory to personalize recommendations based on location and work preferences
• OpenAI partnered with Shopify for in-chat checkout
• Perplexity partnered with PayPal for in-chat checkout
• Adobe predicts AI-assisted online shopping will grow 520% this holiday season
• Both tools rely on Google and Bing search results for product recommendations
• Competing startups like Onton, Daydream, and Phia built custom datasets for fashion and furniture niches
• Shopping startups catalog specific details like fabric types, silhouettes, and style combinations
• Specialized startups redirect to retailer websites, sometimes earning affiliate revenue

Why it matters:

OpenAI and Perplexity own the customer relationship with millions of existing users and can offer direct checkout, giving them an instant distribution advantage, but AI shopping startups like Onton, Daydream, and Phia aren't worried.

They argue that general chatbots rely on existing search indexes means they're only as good as Google and Bing's first page results, which have never worked well for emotional, nuanced purchases like fashion or home decor.

Shopping startups built custom datasets for their niches, cataloging fabric types, silhouettes, and style combinations that general models miss. The CEOs point out that finding a dress isn't like finding a TV. It requires understanding emotional and nuanced preferences that broad training data can't capture.

However, if these startups don't maintain specialized data pipelines, they'll struggle competing against platforms that already own the customer relationship and can offer direct checkout.

👀 Read about AI shopping assistants!

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My Latest LinkedIn & X/Twitter Posts:

• How to generate SEO-friendly images inside WordPress (view post)
• How to generate on-brand, high-quality visuals in seconds with AI (view post)
• How to build your first race-inspired AI agent (view post)
• The anatomy of a strong GPT-5 prompt (view post)
• Why investors are warning of an AI bubble (view post)
• How to use free AI agents to run your marketing (view post)
• How to design, test, and scale voice AI agents (view post)
• How teams are finally connecting their AI workflows (view post)
• How teams organise docs, slides, and research together (view post)
• How to use Grok's research to find insights and patterns (view post)
• Top 9 free Microsoft courses to master AI (view post)
• 9 ChatGPT prompt frameworks for expert-level results (view post)
• How to build your own autonomous AI agents fast (view post)
• 9 AI tools to finish hours of work in minutes (view post)
• How to make Hollywood-level shots with a single prompt (view post)
• How to scale paid media using marketing AI agents (view post)

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New AI Tools to Boost Your Productivity:

• ​huggingface: Collaborates on models, datasets, and applications.
• ​AI UGC Creator: Generates high-converting UGC ads from product info.
• ​ComputerX: Builds AI agents to automate tasks and workflows.
• ​Dia: Chats with browser tabs to summarize, search, and plan.
• ​GeoFinderAI: Finds locations and landmarks from images.
• ​FocuSee: Records and edits screen with zoom and cursor tracking.
• ​CoSupport AI: Answers support tickets and chats automatically.
• ​Lip Sync AI: Makes talking videos from photos with lip sync & head movement.
• ​Board: Makes ad creatives from your website URL.
• ​Mailteorite: Writes marketing emails for SaaS, sales, and newsletters.
• ​Freebeat: Makes music and lyric videos in one click.
• ​Foldwrap: Makes animated ad banners from text.
• ​Wave: Runs tasks with modular AI agents.
• ​HatchCanvas: Co-writes and builds ideas on a shared canvas.
• ​HumanizeAI: Turns AI text into a natural, humanlike tone.
• ​Flowstep: Turns ideas into designs.
• ​Rank++: Optimizes content to rank higher in AI‑generated answers.

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This Week's Top AI News Headlines:

• Google and OpenAI Throttle Free Usage of Nano Banana Pro and Sora Amid Overwhelming Demand and Monetization Push (View Article)
• Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney Urges Steam to Drop ‘Made With AI’ Tags, Saying Game Engine Tech Makes Generative AI Standard in Development (View Article)
• China’s Rapid Push into Humanoid Robotics Sparks Global Buzz and Fears of Another Investment Bubble (View Article)
• ChatGPT Still Struggles With Telling Time Due to Language Model Limits and Lack of Real‑Time System Access (View Article)
• Uber Lays Off Contractors Working on Google AI Tools Just One Month into Project, Citing Sudden Shift in Client Priorities (View Article)
• Supabase CEO Says $5B Growth Came From Painful Calls Like Turning Down Enterprise Deals to Preserve Open‑Source Vision (View Article)
• Michael Burry Accuses Nvidia of Inflating AI Bubble With Accounting Tricks and Stock Hype, Sparking Billion‑Dollar Short and Industry Clash (View Article)
• Onton Raises $7.5M to Expand AI Shopping Platform from Furniture into Apparel and Electronics With Visual Search Tools (View Article)
• OpenAI Says Teen Bypassed ChatGPT Safety Systems, Raising New Questions About Model Guardrails and Crisis Protections (View Article)

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• Paid Partnerships: I’ll promote your product on my LinkedIn, X/Twitter or newsletter. Fill out form to get more info.
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Have a wonderful week!

Andrew Bolis

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