OpenAI has launched GPT-5, claiming the new AI model delivers “PhD-level” expertise across areas like coding and writing. The release marks a significant upgrade in the company’s flagship ChatGPT service, with CEO Sam Altman describing it as ushering in a new era of AI capabilities that would have been “unimaginable at any previous time in human history.”
What you should know: GPT-5 represents a major leap in AI reasoning and problem-solving capabilities compared to its predecessors.
- Altman characterized the progression as moving from high school level (GPT-3) to college level (GPT-4) to PhD-level expertise (GPT-5).
- The model can create complete software applications and demonstrates improved reasoning with answers that show workings, logic, and inference.
- OpenAI claims GPT-5 suffers from fewer hallucinations—instances where AI models generate false or made-up information—and provides more accurate, honest responses that feel more human-like.
The competitive landscape: GPT-5’s launch intensifies the race among tech giants to develop the most advanced AI chatbot.
- Elon Musk recently made similar claims about his AI chatbot Grok, calling it “better than PhD level in everything” and the world’s “smartest AI.”
- The model specifically targets coders as a key market, following competitors like Anthropic’s Claude Code.
- OpenAI is offering a free tier for the new model, potentially signaling a shift away from purely proprietary offerings.
Industry tensions: OpenAI faced pushback from competitor Anthropic ahead of the launch.
- Anthropic revoked OpenAI’s access to its API—a programming interface that allows different software systems to communicate—claiming the company violated terms of service by using its coding tools before GPT-5’s release.
- An OpenAI spokesperson defended the practice as “industry standard” for evaluating other AI systems to assess progress and safety.
- OpenAI noted its API remains available to Anthropic despite the access restriction.
What experts think: Some industry observers question whether the advancement is as revolutionary as marketed.
- “These systems, as impressive as they are, haven’t been able to be really profitable,” said Prof Carissa Véliz of the Institute for Ethics in AI.
- She suggested the launch might be “mostly marketing” driven by fear that “the bubble might burst” without maintaining hype.
- BBC AI Correspondent Marc Cieslak, who gained exclusive early access, described the experience as “more like an evolution than revolution for the tech.”
Behavioral changes: OpenAI has implemented new guidelines to promote healthier user relationships with ChatGPT.
- The company will avoid giving definitive answers to personal questions like “Should I break up with my boyfriend?” and instead help users “think it through – asking questions, weighing pros and cons.”
- This follows criticism of a previous update that made ChatGPT “overly flattering,” which Altman pulled in May.
- Altman acknowledged potential risks: “People will develop these somewhat problematic, or maybe very problematic, parasocial relationships [with AI]. Society will have to figure out new guardrails.”
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