5 new AI products worth trying from the avalanche of announcements this week

This week brought lots of AI news, including the launch of OpenAI’s video generator Sora for paid users.

There was a deluge of AI announcements this week as Big Tech pushed out releases and announcements ahead of the holidays.

It was a lot to keep up with — even for us — so we rounded up some of the most useful tools and features you can try out today.

Here are 5 of our recommendations from the last week that you might find helpful in your day-to-day life.

Genmoji in iOS 18.2 will up your texting game

Genmoji is a new Apple Intelligence feature available in iOS 18.2.

Apple’s iOS 18.2 software update came out Wednesday and introduced us to Genmoji, custom AI-generated emoji made possible with Apple Intelligence.

You can make a Genmoji inspired by someone you’ve identified in your photo library or start fresh with instructions describing what you’d like your emoji to look like. If you don’t like the initial result, you can keep refining it by tweaking the description. If you’re happy with it, you can send it in a text or use it as a sticker or Tapback reaction.

Genmoji is available in iOS 18.2 on all iPhone 16 models, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max.

ChatGPT’s integration in your iPhone

Apple’s iOS 18.2 introduces ChatGPT integration.

Apple’s iOS 18.2 software update launched the ChatGPT integration shown off earlier this spring.

Those with an iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max, or iPhone 16 can now access ChatGPT through Siri and Writing Tools by saying or typing their inquiries, without having to go back and forth between apps. Users can tell ChatGPT to generate written content in Writing Tools or generate images to go alongside their written content.

OpenAI’s Sora AI video generator launches

OpenAI’s video generator, Sora, is now available to ChatGPT Plus and Pro users.

OpenAI’s AI video generator, Sora, launched to public users this week as part of the company’s “12 Days of Shipmas” slate of daily AI announcements.

It can create videos up to 1080p resolution lasting up to 20 seconds from your written prompts or make up for missing frames by completing a scene or extending the length of an existing video.

OpenAI initially made a Sora preview available to some creators, designers, and filmmakers in February, but it’s now available to ChatGPT Plus ($20 a month) and Pro users ($200 a month).

OpenAI’s Advanced Voice Mode with vision

ChatGPT’s Advanced Voice Mode can see what you show it through your phone camera or share with it on your screen.

ChatGPT’s Advanced Voice Mode can now “see.”

First demoed in the spring, ChatGPT can now see through your phone’s camera or examine what’s on your screen if you need to give the assistant visual context to help answer your questions.

The new video feature is rolling out this week in the latest version of the mobile app to ChatGPT Team and most ChatGPT Plus and Pro users.

Google Deep Research

Deep Research is available to Gemini Advanced users.

Announced on Wednesday, Google Deep Research is Gemini Advanced’s new agentic feature that can do deep dives on complex subjects for you.

Ask it a question, and it can browse the web “the way you do,” Google said in a blog post. It’ll ultimately generate a report you can export to Google Docs that contains key points and links to sources if you want to dig deeper.

Google Deep Research started rolling out this week in English on desktop and mobile web and will be available in the mobile app early next year.