I tried using the amazing speech recognition capabilities introduced with OpenAI’s new Whisper module yesterday.
π Recommended: OpenAIβs Speech-to-Text API: A Comprehensive Guide
Here’s the sample code I used:
import openai audio_file = open("/path/to/file/my_audio.mp3", "rb") transcript = openai.Audio.transcribe("whisper-1", audio_file)
But when using the simple code to test transcribing an audio file, Python gave me the AttributeError: module 'openai' has no attribute 'Audio'
.
# ... AttributeError: module 'openai' has no attribute 'Audio'
So, I wanted to share my quick solution in case you encountered the same error.
Easy Fix
Chances are you have already installed the openai
library, but you haven’t updated it, so the old version doesn’t provide the Audio
module.
To fix the AttributeError: module 'openai' has no attribute 'Audio'
, you need to update your current installation of the openai
library. The reason for this error is that OpenAI’s Audio transcribing capabilities were introduced in OpenAI Python v0.27.0 and beyond.
You can check your package version using pip show openai
as explained in my more detailed tutorial on the Finxter blog:
π Recommended: 7 Best Ways to Check the OpenAI Package Version in Python
To update your current openai
installation, go to your command line or environment terminal (e.g., in PyCharm, the terminal window) and type the following package upgrading command:
pip install openai --upgrade
Also, you may want to check out my detailed installation instructions for different OS and coding environments:
π Recommended: How to Install OpenAI in Python?
If you want to keep learning and staying up to date with the latest trends in technology, check out my free email academy with Python programming, cheat sheets, ChatGPT, OpenAI, blockchain development, and all the good stuff in coding:

While working as a researcher in distributed systems, Dr. Christian Mayer found his love for teaching computer science students.
To help students reach higher levels of Python success, he founded the programming education website Finxter.com that has taught exponential skills to millions of coders worldwide. He’s the author of the best-selling programming books Python One-Liners (NoStarch 2020), The Art of Clean Code (NoStarch 2022), and The Book of Dash (NoStarch 2022). Chris also coauthored the Coffee Break Python series of self-published books. He’s a computer science enthusiast, freelancer, and owner of one of the top 10 largest Python blogs worldwide.
His passions are writing, reading, and coding. But his greatest passion is to serve aspiring coders through Finxter and help them to boost their skills. You can join his free email academy here.