REAL AI: Will ChatGPT kill Otter.ai, AI facts, headlines, and quote of the week
By Kevin Hawkins with Korey Hawkins | Vol. 3 Issue 30
REAL AI is a human-created weekly roundup of all things related to artificial intelligence in real estate and emerging AI innovations in other sectors likely to impact our industry. Pass this link to a friend – realai.blog – they will thank you!
Will ChatGPT kill Otter.ai?
Will ChatGPT eat Otter.ai for lunch?
Not today, but maybe tomorrow.
If you’ve ever recorded a listing appointment, a Zoom strategy call, or your thoughts while driving between showings, you’ve likely discovered the magic of Otter.ai. Upload an audio file and – BAM! – it’s transcribed and searchable. Need timestamps? Speaker names? Summaries? Otter’s got your back.
So, when OpenAI recently announced that ChatGPT (for Teams and higher) could now transcribe meetings and use GPT-4o in Voice Mode, it raised a serious question:
Do we even need Otter anymore?
The answer, for now, is… it depends.
Testing the promise
The headlines made it sound like Otter.ai’s days were over. But I was skeptical. After all, Otter is one of the few stand-alone tools I have used for years and still rely on, especially for quickly and cleanly transcribing audio or video files, with a downloadable transcript ready for ChatGPT to summarize, as it does better than Otter.
But what if I could eliminate the $100 I spend annually on Otter.ai? That would make ChatGPT even more valuable.
So, I asked ChatGPT if it could transcribe a 3-minute video file (MP4), the kind I can only feed into Otter after converting it to an audio format. It said it could, and I was excited!
You see, Otter doesn’t support video formats natively, so I have to convert it to an audio-only format, such as an MP3 or WAV audio file, that Otter can read.
I discovered that ChatGPT can convert an M4A file to WAV, a format Otter can read. But when I asked ChatGPT to transcribe the video file, it failed. Completely.
Its answer was hilarious. ChatGPT suggested I might want to try Otter.ai to create the transcript and then provided me with the WAV file format to use.
ChatGPT ain’t no Otter
While ChatGPT’s live transcription capabilities are real and improving, it’s essential to cut through the hype and be honest: ChatGPT isn’t yet a replacement for Otter. But if you run out of Otter minutes and all you need is a transcription, ChatGPT can help.
ChatGPT Team users can access a “record mode” feature on the macOS desktop that transcribes up to 120 minutes of audio per session.
Unlike Otter’s 1,200-minute monthly limit, ChatGPT has no monthly quota: it resets with each session. That’s useful if you’re recording live meetings.
Otter is no ChatGPT
Currently, ChatGPT doesn’t allow you to upload a video or audio file and receive an instant, structured transcription. What it does way better than Otter is the summary it can create from your transcriptions.
Otter offers a built-in summary, but what it produces pales in comparison to ChatGPT Teams. When you prompt for an executive summary, bulleted details, a list of the most important quotes (verbatim), and a list of next steps and who’s responsible, ChatGPT rules.
ChatGPT is becoming tech’s Swiss Army Knife
ChatGPT is heading in Otter’s direction, and fast. Once file uploads become reliably transcribable (with summaries, speaker tagging, and timestamps built in), Otter’s days will be numbered.
ChatGPT already does things Otter can’t, such as understanding your tone, extracting insights from transcripts, or generating follow-up emails from recordings, all in one place.
The bigger picture? For agents looking to streamline their tech stack, ChatGPT is beginning to feel like tech’s Swiss Army knife. It won’t just replace Otter. Over time, it could absorb tools for scheduling, follow-ups, writing, analyzing, brainstorming, translating, and, eventually, even video editing.
But that future isn’t here yet.
Bottom line for real estate agents
For now, if you rely on Otter, don’t cancel your subscription. ChatGPT’s transcription capabilities are not ready to replace Otter.
But ChatGPT is learning fast. It just hasn’t caught its prey. Yet. (-Kevin)
AI Facts and Stats
1. 43% of marketing pros admitted to automating repetitive tasks and processes using AI software – SurveyMonkey
2. 70% of marketing professionals state their employer doesn’t provide gen AI training – Salesforce
3. 75% of companies currently investing in AI technology said they are looking to move their talent into more strategic roles this year and beyond – Gartner
4. 65% of companies surveyed reported they have seen better SEO results when using AI – Longshot AI
5. 73% of businesses believe that AI will improve personalization strategies – Contentful
Source: Digital Marketing Institute (-Korey)
AI Headlines
OpenAI prepares to launch GPT-5 in August | 7/24/25 The Verge
GPT-5 will come with integrated reasoning and a multi-tiered model release.
Fake AI reviews of real estate agents are taking over Zillow, new study warns | 7/21/25 New York Post
The increase of AI-generated reviews is creating a credibility crisis for real estate agents.
How First-Time Sellers Are Leveraging Tech To Sell Faster | 7/22/25 Realtor.com
AI is being used as an enhancement in the home selling process.
AI Is Optimizing the Back Office, but What About the Physical Office? | 7/21/25 PYMNTS
AI systems are being leveraged to find inefficiencies in how offices are run.
Economist Warns the AI Bubble Is Worse Than Immediately Before the Dot-Com Implosion | 7/21/25 Futurism
The AI bubble continues to grow as the hype escalates.
OpenAI could drop GPT-5 in August, report says. Catch up on the latest rumors and leaks. | 7/24/25 Mashable
The latest ChatGPT model may be launching sooner rather than later. (-Korey)
AI Surprise of the Week
ChatGPT now handles 2.5 billion prompts every single day globally. OpenAI confirmed this figure in a report with Axios in July 2025, a steep rise from about 1 billion daily prompts back in December 2024. That’s roughly a 150% increase in just seven months. Even more surprising? Based on a 2024 analysis by Dylan Patel of SemiAnalysis, the estimated cost to run these prompts could be as much as $375 million a month. That’s over $4.5 billion a year, just to run ChatGPT! (-Kevin)
AI Quote of the Week
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