OpenAI is a heavyweight in artificial intelligence (AI) for a reason. In May 2024, the company introduced another groundbreaking innovation – the GPT-4o multimodal AI model. The “o” in its name stands for “omni,” which translates to “all.” However, for this guide, we aren’t interested in everything the GPT-4o can do. We’re only interested in things that GPT-4o can do, and GPT-4 – the company’s previous model – can’t.
The Top 5 Things That GPT-4o Can Do, and GPT-4 Can’t
GPT-4o and GPT-4 models share numerous similarities. For instance, their knowledge cuts off in October 2023. Similarly, both models have a 128,000-token window. This window allows for long and complex conversations. However, how these conversations look like is what makes all the difference.
#1 – GPT-4o Can Tackle Different Types of Data More Efficiently

GPT-4o is called “Omni” for a reason. This impressive model processes all data types through a single network. Text, images, and audio. GPT-4, on the other hand, needs separate models for each.
That’s why you can send mixed inputs to GPT-4o – an image with text or a live video with voices in the background. This model will analyze and respond to these inputs hassle-free.
For this reason, the GPT-4o use cases are also much broader than GPT-4’s. Take healthcare as an example. GPT-4o can recognize symptoms from a simple video call and offer real-time advice to patients.
#2 – GPT-4o Can Respond Much Faster

Speed is undoubtedly one of the most impressive upgrades in GPT-4o. And we aren’t just talking about multimodal queries. GPT-4o can handle any task significantly faster than GPT-4. In fact, GPT-4o is twice as fast as its predecessor, according to OpenAI.
Now, you might think to yourself – faster isn’t always better, as speed often interferes with the quality. And you’d be completely right. But there’s no need to worry about this with GPT-4o. The responses this model offers are both fast and high-quality. Truly a win-win scenario.
#3 – GPT-4o Can Understand Context Better
One of the biggest flaws of GPT-4 is its difficulty in understanding context. This makes users go above and beyond to provide enough detail. And even then, GPT-4 often misunderstands. But not GPT-4o.
This model has a much stronger contextual understanding than GPT-4. This means that it shouldn’t struggle with metaphors, idioms, or even cultural references. GPT-4o will pick up on all the subtle cues and offer responses that perfectly match the context.
#4 – GPT-4o Can Support More Languages

Artificial intelligence has long gone global. GPT-4o has followed suit.
This model offers far better support for non-English languages, especially those that don’t use a Western alphabet (e.g., Hindi, Chinese, and Korean).
GPT-4o’s language support is also more comprehensive – it can interact in 50 languages. That’s what global communication is all about.
#5 – GPT-4o Can Respond in a Natural Voice

There’s virtually nothing robotic about GPT-4o. This even applies to its audio responses.
GPT-4o can communicate with you in an almost human-like voice. Plus, thanks to an average response time of just 320 milliseconds, these responses are near-instantaneous. But that’s not even the best part.
The model can also add emotional nuance to its speech. This means GPT-4o can adjust its tone based on the provided context. This makes it ideal for sensitive conversations, such as therapy sessions.
GPT-4 also has a speech component. However, it’s much slower, with an average response time of 5.4 seconds. The process also involves multiple models to transcribe and generate speech, which often leads to loss of information – and emotion. Basically, there’s nothing lifelike about talking to GPT-4. As for GPT-4o – it’s like talking to another person!
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