OpenAI is set to launch its most powerful model, GPT-5, amid fevered speculation over the improvements the new model will bring to the market-leading AI firm.
OpenAI is set to launch its most powerful model, GPT-5, amid fevered speculation over the improvements the new model will bring to the market-leading AI firm.
The first look at the model is widely expected to happen during a livestream planned for 10am PT on 7 August, as announced by OpenAI on X.
It’s safe to say the firm has a lot to live up to. It’s been over two years since OpenAI released GPT-4, having spent the intervening years publicly hyping its moves toward more sophisticated ‘reasoning’ AI models, and users will be expecting a generational leap over current options.
Its 2025 roadmap, as laid out by CEO Sam Altman in a February post on X, was centered around two models. GPT-4.5, the firm’s last model not capable of reasoning, and GPT-5.
GPT-4.5 proved something of a disappointment. Altman dubbed it a “giant, expensive model” and with the subsequent launch of GPT-4.1, which offered a similar performance at a lower price, the firm ultimately chose to deprecate the model just a few months after its debut.
As a true next-generation model, GPT-5 is expected to fare far better. But with OpenAI aiming to live up to sky-high user expectations – and justify its eyewatering valuation – it will be looking to not just deliver improvements, but shoot ahead of competitor models.
Hype notwithstanding, here are the top three features and changes to look out for with GPT-5.
GPT-5 is more or less guaranteed to usher in an entire family of models, with sister models named GPT-5 mini and GPT-5 nano, in the same way that GPT-4.1 was announced alongside GPT-4.1 mini and GPT-4.1 nano.
These will likely be used for lightweight tasks and cost less per token, balancing performance against overhead depending on user demand.
The idea of more than one model being announced in the livestream is supported by a post Altman made on X on 6 August.
“Our livestream tomorrow at 10 am PDT will be longer than usual, around an hour,” he wrote, adding: “we have a lot to show and hope you can find the time to watch!”.
