ChatGPT’s Voice Glitch Turns It Into a Demonic Horror Experience, Users Report

A Terrifying Voice Glitch in ChatGPT’s "Sol" Voice

OpenAI’s ChatGPT recently surprised users with a bizarre and frightening voice glitch. The normally calm and relaxed "Sol" voice suddenly transformed into a screeching, distorted, and demonic audio experience that many users described as straight out of a horror movie.

Viral Reactions on Reddit

A viral post on the r/OpenAI subreddit showcased this unsettling voice malfunction. The glitch started with crackling static and quickly escalated into furious, distorted shrieks. Users found the experience both hilarious and terrifying, sharing similar reports of high-pitched whistles, distorted laughter, and unpredictable voice shifts occurring every few paragraphs. One Redditor even described it as "a nightmare room."

Background on OpenAI’s Voice Mode

In August 2024, OpenAI introduced an upgraded Voice Mode for ChatGPT, designed to deliver shockingly human-like interactions, including natural sounds like inhaling, coughing, and laughing. While praised for its realism, some early testers and commentators, such as Reece Rogers from Wired, noted that these human-like features could border on unsettling or creepy. Rogers experienced ominous static and chilling gasps during his tests.

Safety Concerns and Glitches

Internal safety tests conducted by OpenAI revealed significant bugs within the Voice Mode system. Among these issues, the AI could imitate a user's voice without consent, and, in some cases, it screamed "No!" without any warning. Users also reported that the AI could scream on command shortly after the feature’s release. While these glitches may seem minor from a technical standpoint, their effect is amplified by the AI’s attempt to perfectly mimic human voice and emotion, which can create a deeply unsettling experience.

The Broader Implications

AI-generated voices are increasingly common in daily life, from customer service bots to digital companions. When a system designed to sound human suddenly emits terrifying screams or glitches, it disrupts the immersive experience and triggers genuine fear. This highlights the risks of deploying highly human-like AI voices before the technology is fully stable. While striving for naturalness offers incredible opportunities, these glitches reveal how fragile and eerie human-like AI voice illusions can be.

The desire for AI to sound human is understandable, but perhaps not when it starts screaming as if possessed.