This Week in AI — Two Fun New ChatGPT Tricks (One’s Perfect for the Grandkids)
Week of August 31, 2026 — plain English, no jargon, as always.
Not every week in AI is about big serious announcements. Some weeks bring small, genuinely fun additions — and this is one of those weeks. ChatGPT quietly added two features that are easy to try and, honestly, a little delightful.
1. Turn a Photo Into Stickers You Can Text to the Grandkids
This one made us smile. Using the ChatGPT app on your phone, you can now create your own sticker packs — those little cartoon images people send in text messages — and share them in iMessage or WhatsApp.
Here’s the fun part: you can start with a photo. Take a picture of your dog, your garden, or even yourself, and ask ChatGPT to turn it into a set of stickers. Or just describe an idea: “Make me a sticker pack of a cheerful golden retriever wearing a birthday hat.”
Why we love this for our readers: if you text with grandchildren, you know they communicate in pictures, emojis, and stickers as much as words. Sending them a custom sticker of your actual dog — or a silly cartoon of Grandma giving a thumbs-up — is the kind of thing that gets an instant “OMG I love this” reply.
To try it: Open the ChatGPT app on your phone, and simply type: “Make me a sticker pack of…” and describe what you want. ChatGPT will walk you through sharing it to your messages.
(This one works in the phone app, not the computer version — it’s built for texting.)
2. Tap to Hear How a Word Is Pronounced
The second addition is small but handy: when you ask ChatGPT how to pronounce a word, you can now tap to hear it spoken out loud, along with a simple phonetic breakdown (the “sound-it-out” spelling).
Where this comes in useful:
- Medical terms your doctor rattled off — hear “atrial fibrillation” said properly before your next appointment
- Names of medications
- Foreign words and place names before a trip — no more guessing at “Gruyère” or “Oaxaca”
- A grandchild’s friend’s name you don’t want to mangle
Just ask: “How do you pronounce [word]?” and tap the speaker option to hear it.
One More Thing — For the Health-Minded
A quick note for anyone who read our earlier piece on ChatGPT’s Health feature: OpenAI also announced this week that hospitals and clinics can now connect a special, tightly controlled version of ChatGPT to their medical record systems. This is a tool for doctors and healthcare staff, not something you need to do anything about — but if you hear your doctor’s office mention using AI, this is likely what they’re talking about. The access is read-only and permission-controlled, and early testing by physicians rated the answers highly for safety.
We’ll keep watching this one for you.
The Bottom Line
AI news doesn’t always have to be about money, upgrades, or things to be careful of. This week it’s stickers and pronunciation — two small features that are free, easy, and genuinely fun to try.
Our suggestion: grab your phone, open ChatGPT, and make one sticker pack this week. Then text it to a grandkid and enjoy the reaction.
New to ChatGPT? Start here: ChatGPT for Seniors: A Plain English Beginner’s Guide →
Want more ways AI helps you stay connected? See: 7 Best AI Tools for Seniors in 2026 (Free & Paid) →