ChatGPT unlocks its next level with OpenAI's major GPT-5 update
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OpenAI's long-awaited GPT-5 — a major update to the technology underlying ChatGPT — is a faster, more-capable large language model that CEO Sam Altman said gives users instant access to a PhD-level expert on any subject.
Why it matters: The Thursday release of GPT-5 brings together traditional and "reasoning" models and ups the ante in the race toward so-called artificial general intelligence (AGI).
Driving the news: OpenAI is making the new model available Thursday for free and paid users, with enterprise and educational customers getting access starting next week.
- GPT-5 will have fewer hallucinations and be better at coding and health-related tasks, among other improvements, the company said.
Yes, but: Free ChatGPT users will have a limited capacity for GPT-5 use.
- Once they hit their limit, they'll be switched to a smaller GPT-5 mini model.
- Paying subscribers will be able to use GPT-5 as their default model, while Pro users will have unlimited GPT-5 queries and access to GPT-Pro, which uses additional computing capacity.
Zoom in: OpenAI said GPT-5 sets new highs on a range of benchmarks and cited praise from a variety of companies that had early access, including Windsurf, Vercel, Notion and Manus.
- Altman told a press briefing that the new model not only excels at coding but at taking software projects from idea to usable code in a single step.
- "This idea of software on demand will be a defining part of the new GPT-5 era," he said.
Zoom out: Altman said that GPT-5 shows signs of broad intelligence but lacks the ability to learn and improve on its own — a capacity that, he added, is likely a key component of AGI.
- After you use GPT-5, Altman said, going back to an earlier model is like reverting to a lower-resolution display after you've grown used to an iPhone's Retina display.
Between the lines: Users will also be able to customize GPT-5's personality as part of a feature in "research preview."
- The four initial options are "Cynic," "Robot," "Listener" and "Nerd."
The new model displays less sycophantic behavior than its predecessors, OpenAI said in a blog post.
- "Overall, GPT‑5 is less effusively agreeable, uses fewer unnecessary emojis, and is more subtle and thoughtful in follow‑ups compared to GPT-4o. It should feel less like 'talking to AI' and more like chatting with a helpful friend with PhD‑level intelligence."
Threat level: As it did with its recently released ChatGPT Agent, OpenAI is proceeding as if GPT-5 ranks "high" on its risk scale for biological threat capability and has added additional safeguards.
What we're watching: GPT-5 was originally expected much earlier this year, and its delays led some critics to argue that OpenAI's scaling-up strategy was yielding diminishing returns.
- The new model represent's OpenAI's rebuttal to these skeptics. As the public puts GPT-5 through its tasks in coming days, the world will also get more evidence who's right.
