OpenAI GPT-5.1 Updates, Google Agentic Shopping, ElevenLabs Celebrity Voices


In this newsletter:

  • OpenAI debuts GPT-5.1 with warmer tone and new personality modes
  • Google rolls out agentic AI shopping with auto-checkout and store calling
  • ElevenLabs launches celebrity voice marketplace for licensed AI voices

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

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🤖 OpenAI Debuts GPT-5.1 With Warmer Tone and New Personality Modes

OpenAI released GPT-5.1 with two models: Instant for everyday queries with a warmer conversational tone and Thinking for complex reasoning, adding Professional, Candid, and Quirky personality presets alongside adaptive reasoning that decides when to think before responding.

What's new:

  • GPT-5.1 Instant uses adaptive reasoning for complex questions while responding quickly to simple ones
  • A warmer default tone makes responses more playful and conversational
  • Improved instruction following ensures the model answers the actual question asked
  • GPT-5.1 Thinking adjusts processing time twice as fast on simple tasks, twice as slow on complex problems
  • Significant improvements on AIME 2025 and Codeforces math and coding benchmarks

Personality presets:

  • Added Professional, Candid, and Quirky to existing options
  • Renamed Listener to Friendly and Robot to Efficient
  • Retained earlier Cynical and Nerdy options
  • Eight total presets now available: Default, Professional, Friendly, Candid, Quirky, Efficient, Nerdy, Cynical
  • Settings apply instantly to all conversations mid-chat

Advanced customization:

  • Experimental fine-tuning controls for conciseness, warmth, scannability, and emoji frequency
  • ChatGPT proactively offers to update preferences when noticing consistent style requests
  • Rolling out gradually to limited users later in November 2025

Why it matters:

GPT-5 launched in August with superior capabilities, but users complained about losing emotional engagement from 4o and 4.5 models. Some users formed personal attachments that raised legal concerns after suicide cases linked to ChatGPT.

The 5.1 update prioritizes conversational warmth over pure intelligence to address user complaints. However, internal benchmarks show the model performs worse on filtering harmful content compared to October's version, highlighting OpenAI's difficulty balancing user satisfaction with safety for 800 million weekly active users.

👀 Read more about GPT-5.1's new features!

🛒 Google Rolls Out Agentic AI Shopping With Auto-Checkout and Store Calling

Google unveiled AI shopping features across Search and Gemini with agentic checkout that automatically purchases tracked items when prices drop and AI-powered calling to local stores for inventory checks.

What's new:

  • AI Mode handles conversational queries like "cozy sweaters for happy hour in warm autumn colors"
  • Results show shoppable images with prices, reviews, inventory, and comparison tables
  • Shopping features now available in the Gemini app for brainstorming to browsing
  • Powered by the Shopping Graph database of 50 billion product listings

Agentic checkout:

  • Tracks items by size, color, and target price using the price-tracking feature
  • Sends "Buy for me" button notification when price drops within budget
  • AI purchases an item on merchant website using Google Pay after user confirms details
  • Available for Wayfair, Chewy, Quince, and select Shopify merchants in the US

AI calling:

  • "Let Google call" uses upgraded Duplex to phone local stores for availability
  • Checks pricing and promotions, then summarizes results via text or email
  • Rolling out for toys, health, beauty, and electronics in the US

Why it matters:

Google shifts from a search engine to a transactional agent that completes purchases, introducing powerful intermediation between retailers and customers. The agentic checkout embeds Google deeper into transaction flows while calling features drive local foot traffic.

However, the move requires retailers to cede direct customer relationships and raises questions about whether AI Mode's sponsored listings prioritize user needs or advertiser revenue during automated shopping decisions.

👀 Read more about Google's AI shopping!

🎙️ ElevenLabs Launches Celebrity Voice Marketplace for Licensed AI Voices

ElevenLabs unveiled Iconic Voice Marketplace, enabling brands to license AI-cloned celebrity voices from living and deceased figures, partnering with Michael Caine and investor Matthew McConaughey, who will use AI voice for Spanish newsletter translation.

What's new:

  • Two-sided platform connects brands with rights holders to license celebrity AI voices
  • Over 25 voices available, including Caine, Liza Minnelli, Maya Angelou, and Alan Turing
  • Deceased celebrities include Judy Garland, John Wayne, Laurence Olivier, Babe Ruth & Mark Twain
  • Brands request access, then negotiate licensing terms off-platform with rights holders
  • McConaughey is using an AI voice to translate the Lyrics of the Livin' newsletter into Spanish audio
  • Caine's voice is available for narrating books, articles, and PDFs on the ElevenReader app

Voice library expansion:

  • The library now includes 10,000+ voices
  • ElevenLabs paid $11 million in creator rewards
  • The platform is used by employees from 75% of Fortune 500 companies
  • Supports interactive AI voice agents in 30+ languages

Why it matters:

ElevenLabs launches the marketplace weeks after settling a lawsuit from actors Karissa Vacker and Mark Boyett over voice misappropriation, positioning consent-based licensing as the ethical alternative. The platform addresses Hollywood's years-long AI rights debate by requiring explicit approval before voice usage.

However, the marketplace raises questions about posthumous consent, with most voices belonging to deceased figures like Maya Angelou and J. Robert Oppenheimer, whose estates control licensing without the individual's explicit AI authorization. The move transforms celebrity voices into perpetual revenue streams for estates while potentially diluting the scarcity value that made those voices iconic.

👀 Read more about ElevenLabs' voice marketplace!

My Latest LinkedIn & X/Twitter Posts:

  • 15 rules to write ChatGPT powerful prompts (view post)
  • How to make Voice AI predictable, testable, and scalable (view post)
  • How to achieve website accessibility compliance with AI + experts (view post)
  • How to find hidden deals in your inbox (view post)
  • AI tools, use cases, and benefits for founders & CEOs (view post)
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  • 9 golden rules for powerful ChatGPT prompts (view post)
  • Top 20 remote job websites for job seekers (view post)
  • How to run your entire sales funnel with one AI (view post)
  • How to create viral ad videos with just a photo (view post)
  • Learn how to build AI Agents in 3 easy levels (view post)
  • How to build apps with just your phone (view post)
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New AI Tools to Boost Your Productivity:

  • RushesLab: Generates cinematic scenes from raw footage.
  • img‑2‑img: Edits images with style transfer, identity lock, and text prompts.
  • Infinite Talk AI: Syncs audio with images to create talking videos.
  • AI Generator: Creates videos and images from text or images.
  • Anything: Builds websites and apps from text prompts.
  • ElevenLabs: Converts text into speech in multiple languages.
  • NextDocs: Generates documents and slides from ideas.
  • Klariqo: Handles chat and calls with an AI voice assistant.
  • Radiant: Records meetings and automates follow-ups and tasks.
  • OpenMusic AI: Generates full songs and lyrics from prompts.
  • Monobot: Automates customer chats and voice calls.
  • RemoveSoraWatermark: Removes Sora video watermarks.
  • MyClone: Creates a personal AI clone for client interactions.
  • OKKSlides: Generates slide decks from text prompts.
  • ChatPlayground: Tests and compares AI chat, code, and image models.
  • VoiceType: Converts speech into formatted text.
  • MonkeyAI: Applies artistic styles and edits to images.
  • Mintly: Generates ad creatives from templates.
  • HeyEdith: Sends proactive messages as a personal AI agent.

This Week's Top AI News Headlines:

  • Anthropic Updates Claude AI to Avoid “Woke” Biases and Ensure Political Even-Handedness in its Responses to Sensitive Topics (View Article)
  • ChatGPT Pilots Group Chat Feature in Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, and Taiwan, Allowing Up to 20 Users to Collaborate With the AI in One Conversation (View Article)
  • Apple Requires Developers to Get Permission Before Sharing User Data with Third-Party AI, Tightening App Store Rules (View Article)
  • Google Enhances NotebookLM With Gemini Deep Research Integration, Letting Users Choose Between Fast or Deep Analysis While Linking Sheets, PDFs, and docx Files Directly into their Workflow (View Article)
  • LinkedIn Launches AI-Powered People Search that Lets You Find Professionals by Describing Skills, Background, and Questions Rather than Just Name or Title (View Article)
  • Google DeepMind Unveils Sima 2 Agent, an AI Designed to Play Video Games Autonomously Across Hundreds of Titles Using Few-Shot Learning (View Article)
  • Mozilla Builds “AI Window” Mode into Firefox, Letting Users Choose their AI Model for a Dedicated Chat Space in the Browser (View Article)
  • Disney+ Could Soon Let Users Create AI-Generated Short Videos, Says CEO Bob Iger in Q4 2025 Earnings Call as Platform Eyes Engagement Boost (View Article)
  • Spotify Introduces “Recaps” AI Feature for Audiobooks that Summarizes What You’ve Listened to So Far After 15-20 Minutes to Help You Jump Back Into the Story (View Article)
  • Google Launches Private AI Compute to Deliver Advanced AI Cloud Services With On-Device-Style Privacy Protections (View Article)
  • Anthropic Commits $50 Billion to Build U.S. AI Data Centers in Texas & New York With Fluidstack to Power Claude and Expand Frontier Research (View Article)
  • World Labs Aims to Lead the “World Generation” Era in AI by Launching Marble, a Tool that Lets Users Generate Downloadable 3D Environments From Prompts (View Article)
  • Even Realities, a Startup Building Privacy-First Wearable AI Devices, Launches G2 Smart Glasses and R1 Smart Ring With 3D Floating Display, AI Conversational Tools, and No Cameras or Speakers (View Article)

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Have a wonderful week!

Andrew Bolis

AI Tips for Business Growth - Newsletter by Andrew Bolis

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