Scams with perfect spelling, and a materials list from one voice note

News 3 of 3: ChatGPT's voice mode got an update

What changed

On 15 October OpenAI started rolling out a new version of the voice in ChatGPT (it calls it GPT-Live-1.1) to all users. OpenAI says it brings new voices, more natural accents across languages, and fewer "checking..." pauses while it looks things up. Free users get a smaller version with limited time; paid Plus users get up to three hours in any 24 hours.

Should you care?

A bit. If you already talk to ChatGPT in the van, it should feel smoother this week. OpenAI hasn't said anything specific about regional British accents, so the only way to know if it copes with yours is to try it. It's free, and this week's AI on the Job puts it to proper use.

Source: OpenAI: ChatGPT release notes (opens in a new tab)

AI on the Job: turn a voice note into a materials order

Every week, one real job done start to finish with an AI assistant. This week: you've just measured up, you're sat in the van, and you want the materials list done before you set off.

1. Measure up as normal. Tape, notes, photos. The AI only knows what you tell it, so get the sizes right first.
2. Open your AI app and tap the microphone. ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude all work on a phone. Talk it through like you'd tell your labourer: "Back bedroom, 3.6 by 3.2, ceiling height 2.4, board and skim the walls and ceiling, one window about 1.2 by 1.1, door 0.8 by 2, collecting from the merchant Thursday morning."
3. Paste in this prompt (it's below) so you get a list, not a chat.
4. Check the numbers. Read its working and compare it with your own sums or one of our free calculators for plasterboard, plaster, paint and tiles. If it's guessed anything, fix it.
5. Order it yourself. Ask it to turn the checked list into a short text or email for your merchant, or a tick-list for the trade counter. You send it, not the AI.
6. Save it against the job. Paste it into your notes or job app under the customer's name. Next time you can say "same as the back bedroom at Smith's, but two rooms".

Turn what I just said into a materials list for a UK builders' merchant order. Group it by type (board, fixings, plaster, beads, tape and so on). Work out quantities from the sizes I gave and show your working in one line each. Use metric and UK product names. Add a waste allowance only if I asked for one. If I didn't give a size or quantity for something, don't guess: put it under "Measure again". Finish with a blank price column so I can fill it in at the counter.

Tip: always read the list against your notes before you order. A wrong size said out loud turns into a wrong order very quickly.

One thing to try: a 10-minute receipt habit before HMRC's next date

On 5 October HMRC reminded sole traders that Making Tax Digital for Income Tax reaches anyone with turnover over £30,000 from 6 April 2027, and over £20,000 from April 2028. If you're over £50,000 you're already in, and your second quarterly update is due on 7 November. Either way, digital records through the year beat a January panic.

Once a week, photograph your receipts and van dockets, then paste this into your own AI app with the photos. Check every number before it goes anywhere:

I'm a UK sole trader in construction. From these receipt photos, make a table with: date, supplier, what it was for, total paid, VAT if it's shown, and a suggested category (materials, tools, fuel, subcontractors, phone and office, other). If you can't read something clearly, write "check" rather than guessing. Don't add up totals I haven't asked for.

Then copy the checked table into your bookkeeping software or spreadsheet, and flag anything odd for your accountant. Full details, including the list of HMRC-recognised software, are on GOV.UK (opens in a new tab).

Try this tomorrow

Next time an email asks you to pay, log in, or change bank details, paste the text into your AI before you do anything:

Here's an email I've received. List anything in it that could be a scam sign: urgency, changed bank details, odd links, a sender address that doesn't match the company, or requests for codes or passwords. Don't tell me it's safe. Tell me what to check and who I should phone to confirm.

Then do the check yourself, on a number you already had.

Try the free calculators

(No affiliate links in this issue. We'll always tell you if that changes.)

That's your lot for this week. If something here was useful, or confusing, just hit reply. I read every one, and it tells me what to cover next.

I've spent over 20 years in UK construction, and I write The Toolbox Talk AI every week.
We search the AI world every week so you don't have to.

Cheers,
Shaun