OpenAI is extending ChatGPT’s capabilities with an audio recording feature, making it available to macOS Plus plan subscribers. This is the next stage in the commercialisation of a tool that increasingly resembles a digital assistant for office tasks – this time with a focus on automating meetings and notes.
The new feature allows both microphone and system audio to be recorded – without the need for external applications. Once the recording is complete, the user receives a transcription, a summary of the conversation, a task list and timestamps. The recording can last up to two hours and the original audio file is deleted after processing.
This approach is part of a wider trend: AI providers are increasingly willing to offer tools to support everyday productivity, not just chat. Transforming speech into structured knowledge is part of building a more contextual, ‘understanding’ AI-based working environment.
At the same time, questions about privacy remain in the background. OpenAI stipulates that users must have the consent of all meeting participants, and that data may – but does not have to – be used to train the model. For business and education clients, this is disabled by default.
For now, the feature only works on macOS. The lack of announcement of a version for Windows or mobile devices suggests that OpenAI is testing the ground for a wider deployment. Meanwhile, the digital assistant market is entering a phase where automatic call recording and interpretation is becoming a viable feature, not a promise.
