CEO Sam Altman shared the news on X, in a post titled, “OPENAI ROADMAP UPDATE FOR GPT-4.5 and GPT-5.”
OPENAI ROADMAP UPDATE FOR GPT-4.5 and GPT-5:
We want to do a better job of sharing our intended roadmap, and a much better job simplifying our product offerings.
We want AI to “just work” for you; we realize how complicated our model and product offerings have gotten.
We hate…— Sam Altman (@sama) February 12, 2025
The decision marks a shift toward simplifying OpenAI’s product lineup, with GPT-5 set to unify the company’s AI tools and features into a single, more versatile model.
Originally slated for a February-March launch, o3 will no longer debut as a standalone product. Instead, its capabilities will be incorporated into GPT-5, which Altman described as a “magic unified intelligence” designed to streamline user experience. GPT-5 will integrate features like voice, canvas, search, and deep research, aiming to handle a wide range of tasks more effectively.
Before GPT-5’s release, OpenAI plans to launch GPT-4.5, code-named “Orion,” in the coming weeks. Altman noted that this will be the company’s last “non-chain-of-thought” model, a less reliable approach for complex domains like math and physics. GPT-5, by contrast, will leverage reasoning models that fact-check themselves, improving reliability despite slightly longer response times.
Altman also revealed that GPT-5 will offer unlimited chat access at a “standard intelligence setting,” with higher levels of intelligence available to ChatGPT Plus and Pro subscribers. However, he did not provide details on the “abuse thresholds” that will govern usage.
The move comes as OpenAI faces increasing competition, particularly from Chinese AI lab DeepSeek, whose open-source R1 model has matched OpenAI’s o1 on several benchmarks. Altman acknowledged that DeepSeek has narrowed OpenAI’s technological lead, prompting the company to accelerate its release schedule.
OpenAI’s pivot signals a focus on delivering more cohesive and reliable AI solutions, while intensifying the race for dominance in the generative AI space.
